Although you'd likely never prepare two different cocktails and shake them together into one, applying the core tenets of one drink to another is a go-to trick bartenders use to create delightful, all-new libations. Just ask Darrick Bourgeois, lead bartender at Nashville's Luogo and Pelato, who took inspiration from the Paper Plane and Old Fashioned to create the Aereo Di Carta Old Fashioned.
A classic Paper Plane is equal parts bourbon, Aperol, lemon juice, and Amaro Nonino. Bourgeois played with the ratios and the amaro. His Old Fashioned starts with a slightly sweeter, slightly over-proof bourbon base, which “cuts through the other bold flavors without creating an overbearing burn,” he says. Then, rather than amaro, he uses amaretto for a touch more sweetness. Aperol and lemon juice provide a solid bitter backbone to balance the other ingredients.
“This cocktail is great for sitting next to a firepit on crisp fall days or evenings,” Bourgeois adds. So grab some kindling and your closest friends, and let a classic and a modern cocktail collide.
Aereo Di Carta Old Fashioned
- 2 oz. WhistlePig 6 year old PiggyBack (or other high-corn bourbon)
- 1/4 oz. Lazzaroni amaretto
- 1/4 oz. Aperol
- 1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
- Orange peel and Luxardo cherry for garnish
In a mixing glass, stir all ingredients together for 20 to 30 seconds. Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with orange peel and Luxardo cherry on a pick.
