Paper Plane
This was my first stab at reproducing a drink I had at Milk & Honey, a cocktail bar in the Lower East Side. Milk & Honey has been around since 2000, and may be single-handedly responsible for kicking off the speakeasy trend in New York City. In the past decade a number of bars have opened downtown, each boasting about serious mixology and decked out in Prohibition-era decor. Milk & Honey retains its authentic exclusivity, though. Unlike the other bars, you can’t just walk in. You can apply and pay for a membership, or obtain their phone number through some vague referral process. Once in possession of the number, you send them a text when you want to go, and they’ll text you back if they have an available space. Or not. There’s a certain chanciness and willingness to wait around implicit in the visit, but on the other hand, getting the text back is a mark of accomplishment. The bar is located through an unmarked door on Eldridge Street, and its windowless dim and lack of crowds lends it an air of sophistication… you know what, I’m not going to review Milk & Honey. Sure, the drinks were great but I’m not a member and for $15 a drink, I can buy the ingredients and cocktail it up at home–which is even more exclusive.
So, one of the drinks I had at Milk & Honey that I really liked was the Paper Plane. If someone asks me what I want in a cocktail, the first thing I’ll say is I like bourbon and citrus, not too sweet. This drink hit every mark. It’s dry, refreshing, and strikes a balance between the bourbon, lemon, bitter orange, and aperol, which is herbal and bittersweet. So, without further ado, the recipe:
3/4 ounce bourbon (I used Woodford Reserve)
3/4 ounce Amaro Nonino (I couldn’t find this and used Ramazotti)
3/4 ounce Aperol
3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed lemon
Shaken with ice and served in a coupe glass (I don’t have this so I used lowball glasses with big ice cubes so it doesn’t melt too fast and get watered down)
I noted the ingredients during my visit and grabbed the proportions from FoodandWine.com.