Hunting For the Best Paper Plane Cocktail

The Paper Plane cocktail is rapidly moving from a deep cut, rarely ordered imbibe to a menu mainstay. And for good reason: It’s positively delicious and has infinite riffs.

When I stumbled upon the Paper Plane a few years back, I sought a refreshing cocktail that was bourbon-forward, but not so much that it overpowered the glass, and something that I could have several rounds of without burning out my palate or overdosing on cloying sweetness. It was love at first sip. A punch of bourbon, a fair amount of tartness, and just a soupçon of sweetness; heaven in a coupe.

The fun part about this equal-parts drink? Due to the endless customization options, you can keep tweaking the recipe to suit any desired flavor profile. You’ll never get tired of trying another iteration, seeing how those new additions move the overall flavor of the cocktail.

I’ve spent the last few years trying Paper Planes at every bar I visit, across seven countries and more than two dozen cities. Revealed here are the best Paper Planes I’ve sampled, how to craft your own at home, and the best bourbons to use in a Paper Plane.

The History of the Paper Plane

A member of the four-equal-parts drink family, the Paper Plane is a riff on the Last Word, a classic cocktail that employs gin, lime, maraschino liqueur, and green chartreuse.

Other cocktails in the four-equal-parts category include the Naked and Famous, and the Corpse Reviver #2.) The Last Word cocktail was invented somewhere around 1910, reportedly at the Detroit Athletic Club, but it was in the early 2000s when it became a buzzy beverage, thanks to Murray Stenson, a barman at the Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle. The Paper Plane was an even more nascent creation, crafted in 2008 by renowned mixologist Sam Ross. (Yes, Ross was a fan of the M.I.A. hit song “Paper Planes,” and that’s the etymology of the drink’s name.) While Ross initially debuted the Paper Plane in Chicago, when he brought it back to New York City, at the famous Milk & Honey bar, it, well, took off.

How to Make a Paper Plane

Ross’ recipe calls for equal parts of bourbon—his preference is something that’s higher in ABV, around 50% to be able to shine through—Aperol, lemon juice (freshly squeezed always tastes better than bottled), and amaro, to bring in some bittersweet notes. His recipe calls for Amaro Nonino, a delightful Italian liqueur that’s grappa-based and infused with botanicals and herbs. Amaro Nonino hails from Friuli, in Northern Italy, and utilizes a family recipe from 1897. It’s barrel-aged for 5 years in oak, and the result is a less sweet amaro with notes of orange and alpine herbs.

Pour .75 ounces of each ingredient in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake, but not to the point where you’re watering the drink down too much; it just needs to be frosty. The standard glassware is a coupe, though any vessel suffices. And no ice in the glass; you won’t want further dilution.

Paper Plane Road Trip: Highlights of My Search For the Best

Montreal’s Ritz Carlton’s features a lemon peel garnish, semi-folded into a plane and perched on the rim of the coupe. It’s a straightforward take on Ross’ recipe, employing Amaro Nonino and a high-proof Wild Turkey bourbon.

Four Seasons Montreal’s Marcus Lounge served up a tangy and tart Plane, while Yama, a pan-Asian spot inside the Vogue Hotel substitutes Amaro Montenegro in for a zestier, more bitter finish and a darker hue. Hidden 25-seat speakeasy Cloakroom Bar, nestled behind the coat check door of a men's suit store, offers one of the priciest Paper Planes, above $80, since the bar’s specialty is vintage spirits. A Paper Plane made with 20 year old Rittenhouse rye from 1975 and that rye spice rises above the melded flavors to give an extra oomph.

In San Diego, up the coast in La Jolla is Marisi, an upscale Italian restaurant. The bar and spirits program is helmed by Beau du Bois, and his bar staff make an excellent Paper Plane, using bourbon of your choice and Amaro Nonino. What’s truly special is du Bois’ single barrel option. He selected a Weller Full Proof single barrel, had Buffalo Trace ship him the barrel, then dumped all the Weller back into the barrel. Customers can thief directly from the barrel on Marisi’s patio for a unique experience. That barrel expired, so du Bois replaced it with a private barrel of Blanton’s Gold. (Yes, you can use this in a Paper Plane.)

In downtown San Diego, Youngblood, from Consortium Holdings, is a speakeasy within a speakeasy, and this venue is not to be missed. Push through a hidden door made out of beer kegs and ask for mixologist Zach Sheldon, who can whip up an array of Paper Planes using vintage spirits—we tried a 100-proof Old Overholt rye from the mid 1960s. It’ll ding the wallet (it was about $90 for the drink) but it’ll please the palate.

Another option from the Consortium hospitality gang is J & Tony’s Discount Cured Meat and Negroni Warehouse. As that quirky mouthful of a name suggests, this place is kitschy and fun, and the Paper Planes here are as delicious as the freshly shaved prosciutto selection. Hit up the chic and lively Pendry Hotel’s Fifth & Rose for a nightcap (or three) of Planes; they don’t miss.

Sugar Palm, inside the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, California, has a fun, off-menu riff that uses Cynar amaro, which recedes into the Paper Plane a little, letting the tangy tartness of the lemon juice and the bourbon rise. (Bonus: you can drool at the $1,200-per-pour, 55 year old Macallan in Lalique in a locked cabinet on the back bar while your cocktail is being made.)

Miami Beach’s iconic cocktail spot Sweet Liberty is a must-visit, and the Paper Planes are right on the money. (You should also try the Beast of Bourbon: Woody Creek bourbon, Sailor Jerry spiced rum, Mr. Black espresso liqueur, allspice dram, honey, Angostura bitters, and grated coffee beans. It’s absurdly good.)

In Austin, Texas, hit up Aba Restaurant, a Mediterranean retreat on Congress Street serving up tasty mezze. It’s also got the Torre River Paper Plane on the menu. This cocktail uses Amaro Nonino Quintessentia Riserva, which is a limited-edition offering that spent an extra two years in oak barrels (for a total of seven years). The bourbon is Texas’ own Garrison Bros. small batch, and the wonderful cocktail has more oak from the bourbon, and a depth of flavor from the ultra-aged amaro that will have you ordering fourths.

Down and Out NYC, a Lower East Side oyster bar and vintage spirits haven by Joshua Richholt, opts for Faccia Brutto amaro, from Brooklyn. This smart choice brings a much more herbal, green note to the drink, and ups the spice level nicely via Sazerac Rye.

In Kentucky, Paper Planes are everywhere, but there are two that fly very high. House of Commons Bourbon Library in Frankfort offers a very solid straightforward option, with your choice of bourbon or rye from several hundred bottles, including a heap of dusty bottles. Pick your spirit or have owner Dave Sandlin (who’s great-grandmother was born at O.F.C. Distillery in 1901) select one for you. He won’t steer you wrong.

In Louisville, Neat Bar and Bottle Shop’s barman Dante Wheat makes a fantastic Plane using double-barreled J.T.S. Brown bourbon and Amaro Nonino. You can also ask to substitute any of the incredible dusties lining the back bar. (Try any of the pre-fire Heaven Hill.)

The Wynn in Las Vegas’s lobby bar has an array of fine and rare spirits for your cocktail, provided your wallet is ready for a serious hit, but some E.H. Taylor offerings are affordably priced and stand up suitably in the glass.

In Vienna, Austria, head to the upscale Hotel Sacher, nestled in the heart of the city’s center, and visit Blaue Bar, a cozy but decadent room, bedecked in blue velvet. Paper Planes are a menu item, using Ross’ traditional recipe with Maker’s Mark, but mixologists will happily swap in a Blanton’s Gold single barrel to level up the drink.

Rumore is one of Milan’s newest cocktail enclaves and it specializes in high-end drinks and rare scotches and whiskies. The vibe is fun, melding animal print patterns with live jazz—“Rumore” is a song from a famous Italian singer named Raffaella Carra—and the Paper Planes are perfect. (As was the 1960s Glenlivet 12 year old I had afterward.)

A short cab ride across town to the Navigli neighborhood—the “hipster” district of Milan—brings you to Mag Cafe, a coffee shop by day, and cocktail joint come sundown. The Paper Plane here is sublime, particularly when you let the mixologist select the ingredients—the first one I tried used Fernet Branca as the amaro, and it brings a rich depth to the glass. If you pass muster, you may be invited next door to a hidden speakeasy attached to Mag Cafe called BackDoor43. It only seats four people, and you have a dedicated bartender who can guide you through hundreds of rare whiskies. I sampled a 1990s Wild Turkey that was incredible, and also tried it in a Paper Plane.

Nikki Beach Montenegro’s bustling beach resort is situated on the Bay of Tivat, and locals in the know take boats to the dock for wild pool parties during the day. (While I was there, tennis phenom Novak Djokovic pulled up in a 65-foot yacht to revel.) The cocktails on the menu are more tropical, but the bar staff can whip up a tasty Paper Plane, using Amaro Montenegro (still made in Italy, despite the name), and Woodford Reserve. This was arguably the best backdrop I’ve had during my Paper Plane journey.

There were more than a few misses during my sampling of more than 200 versions of the Paper Plane. A very famous steakhouse in Montreal had no idea what I ordered and instead brought me an Aperol Spritz. In my hometown of Maplewood, New Jersey, I was served the absolute worst iteration—we’ll call it a Plane Crash—at a bar I needn’t name. It was made with simple syrup, maraschino cherries and who knows what else. And a speakeasy at one of the most famous Vegas casinos served a particularly hard Paper Plane to swallow, partially because it cost $110, but mostly because the bar was using bottled lemon juice that had turned. (They did remove it from the bill when I complained.)

The 7 Best Bourbons for a Paper Plane

The world is your oyster when it comes to bourbon selection. As noted above, one key tenet is to select a bourbon with a high ABV, so that the whiskey lightly punches through the rest of the ingredients. Ross’s recommendation of a bourbon with a minimum of 50% ABV is a solid one; I’ve tried a few with bourbon between 40%-45% and found that the whiskey is slightly lost in the mix. I’ve experimented with all the below recommendations and found them to excel in the cocktail. (While these are all bourbons, feel free to swap in a bourbon-rye blend like High West Bourye or if you want further spice in the glass, try High West’s Double Rye.)

Dark Arts 10.5 year old, 61% ABV

This MGP-sourced product from the upstart Lexington, Kentucky, non-distiller producers is exquisite on its own, but its 122 proof brings a lot to the Paper Plane, with some of the whiskey’s base notes of cinnamon and crème brûlée showing up in the cocktail.

Weller Antique 107, 53.5% ABV

The higher-proof wheater from Buffalo Trace means that you get extra sweetness in the cocktail, without it fading into the background of the drink.

1792 Full Proof, 62.5% ABV

At 125 proof, the 1792 becomes a heavy hitter in a Paper Plane. It cuts the acidity and sweetness of the Aperol nicely and gives the drink a longer, oakier finish.

Knob Creek Single Barrel, 60% ABV

Any single barrel Knob works well. At 120 proof, the flavors of the whiskey shine clearly, and some nuttiness (present in all Knob Creek barrels) that adds a layer of complexity to the Paper Plane.

Russell’s Reserve, 45% ABV

The regular Russell’s Reserve 10 year is excellent in the cocktail, despite being 90 proof. But stepping up to a single barrel of Russell’s Reserve will see the proof shoot up to 110 and bring more of the cherry notes from the whiskey to the Paper Plane.

Old Tub Bottled in Bond, 50% ABV

At 100-proof, this bottom-shelf expression from Jim Beam is a sleeper, especially for cocktails. Its oak spice is prominent in the Paper Plane and it makes the drink richer.

Mellow Corn, 50% ABV

Another extremely affordable 100-proof option that helps smooth all the Paper Plane ingredients together, while adding a corn biscuit note to the coupe.