“What’s a paper plane?”

            95% of the time, that’s the question I’m using to see if the bar tender knows what they are talking about. The rational being that it follows a defined technique, requires some very specific ingredients that any reputable cocktail bar should have, and requires the bartender to have a degree of knowledge of Modern Classics. And ironically, it’s one that for the longest time I thought I was making properly for the longest time.

            The paper plane is a classic daisy style cocktail. Which means it’s an even mixture of three types of decreasingly strong alcohol, and citrus juice. And the irony is, changing any of these leads to a radically different cocktail.

            The highjacked plane is something that I will personally claim credit for. Its unintentional invention took place at an after party of an Art Institute of Chicago member’s event. When I mistook Amaro Nonino for Amaretto in a drink request. The Frequent Flyer was something I invented for Tom, as his taste in drinks tends to be more bitter than my own. Subbing the Aperol for Campari and having a slightly heavier hand on the Bourbon.

            Now, for our intents and purposes, and to spare my liver. I’m only going to make the Paper Plane and the Highjacked Plane for the purposes of this demonstration. Each are made with Buffalo Trace, Aperol, the same freshly squeezed lemon juice, and chilled with 4 cubes of frozen Chicago tap water.

It should be noted that for the Hijacked Plane, the amaretto does not matter. I’ve made this countless times since inventing it five years ago, and the $12 bottle of Amaretto will do the exact same job as the $35 bottle of Disaronno. The $6 bottle may be a bit on the sweeter side. In the case of both cocktails however, you want a dryer bourbon. Not necessarily one that is higher in alcohol, but one that is on the dryer side. I’ve experimented with making this with fruit and nut infused bourbons, and the result is always either too flat in the case of fruit infusions (cherry, peach, persimmon) or too rich when done with nut infusions (walnut, pecan, pistachio, peanut).

As for why I’ve not messed with the formula for Paper Planes. Aside from the fact that I live close enough to The Violet Hour, where it was created, to be able to get the original at my own leisure (barring a blizzard). The defining ingredient is Amaro Nonino. Which depending on where you’re getting it costs anywhere from $65-100 a bottle. Let me stress that most award winning Amaro’s are seldom priced about $40 a bottle. And Tom has a better collection of these than all but a handful of people wherever he is based out of. Which by proxy, means I’ve tasted more of these than I have any business otherwise. And Amaro Nonino pragmatically only has one substitute, Amaro Montenegro. AM has a very similar spice composition to AN, but it is a darker/heavier sweetness, akin to the difference between Anejo Rums and Dark Rums, that is the critical difference between the two products. Now, let’s get to the f***ing drinks. 

The Highjacked Plane. Aperol/Lemon are the first things that hit you, with the bourbon and amaretto taking a load bearing roll. It’s a rich cocktail that evolves gently on the palette, releasing more of the almond notes as you sip it.

The Paper Plane. Similar base flavors, but notably spicier. The baking spice notes of the Nonino take the center stage and are well complimented by the lemon and Aperol. It lacks the richness of its counterpart, yet it makes up for it in complexity. Intriguingly

Verdict. Here is what I will say. Both the Paper Plane and the Hijacked Plane is a great “intro to strong, booze forward, drinks” cocktail. It’s complex but is very approachable. The Paper Plane on the other hand is very complex, and is something that you need to appreciate the Daisy drink category to actually appreciate. Having created the Highjacked Plane, I would personally categorize it as a tiki drink. It fits the mold of  “strong, rich, sour, sweet”. The Paper Plane, in my opinion, is a formal dinner drink. The sort of thing you offer to people who know what they’re talking about.

For the sake of stretching out the drink, an ice cube was added to each drink to keep them chilled. In the dilution, the differences between the drinks were enhanced which has me wondering if I didn’t dilute either enough? Regardless, my judgment remains the same.