The Naked & Famous is the Paper Plane's smoky sibling — equal parts mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Amaro Nonino, and fresh lemon. It is herbal, smoky, sour, and bittersweet all at once, and it goes down with alarming ease.
Equal parts, and equally hard to put down.
A Modern Equal-Part Classic
The Naked & Famous was created in 2011 by Joaquín Simó at Death & Co in New York. It belongs to a small, tight family of equal-part sours — the Last Word, the Paper Plane, the Final Ward — drinks built on the discovery that four equal measures can balance themselves.
Mezcal and Yellow Chartreuse
The two defining swaps are mezcal for the bourbon and yellow Chartreuse for the Aperol. Mezcal brings smoke; yellow Chartreuse, gentler and honeyed than the green, brings herbal sweetness. Amaro Nonino and lemon — shared with the Paper Plane — hold the bitterness and the acid.
Equal Parts, Exactly
Like every drink in its family, the Naked & Famous depends on precision. Four ingredients at three-quarters of an ounce each — measured, not eyeballed. The balance is the whole drink; a heavy hand on any one bottle breaks it.
The Paper Plane Family
Four equal parts — bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon, shaken and served up.
- 3/4 ozBourbon
- 3/4 ozAperol
- 3/4 ozAmaro Nonino
Reposado tequila for the bourbon — an earthy, vegetal turn on the Paper Plane.
- 3/4 ozReposado tequila
- 3/4 ozAperol
- 3/4 ozAmaro Nonino
Campari for the Aperol — a bittersweet, savoury Paper Plane for the cold months.
- 3/4 ozBourbon
- 3/4 ozCampari
- 3/4 ozAmaro Nonino
Aged agricole rum for the bourbon — grassy depth that bridges the amaro.
- 3/4 ozAged agricole rum
- 3/4 ozAperol
- 3/4 ozAmaro Nonino