Cocktail of the Week: The Paper Plane

The Paper Plane is one of the great modern cocktails — created by Sam Ross in 2008 and a perfect lesson in balance. It's an "equal parts" drink, which makes it a brilliant teaching cocktail.

The recipe

• 3/4 oz bourbon
• 3/4 oz Aperol
• 3/4 oz Amaro Nonino
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake hard with ice, double-strain into a chilled coupe, and serve up — no garnish required (though a flamed lemon peel never hurts).

Why it works

The Paper Plane is a masterclass in the four pillars we teach in Craft Mixology: strong (bourbon), bitter (Aperol + Amaro), sour (lemon), and a hint of sweet (the amari again). Everything is in equal measure, so the drink tastes balanced rather than dominated by any one element.

Make it your own

Once you understand the structure, you can riff: swap the bourbon for mezcal, or the Aperol for Campari to dry it out. That's the whole point of learning to spec a drink on paper before you build it.