This is a bitter take on the Mai Tai. The drink combines three key ingredients for balance: Cynar, an artichoke-based Italian amaro, funky overproof Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, and bartender’s ketchup (aka St-Germain) to make a very balanced bittersweet version of the classic.
As the stress of the COVID-19 lockdown took hold, I decided to buy the ingredients for an Aviation, a drink I’d had at Momofuku in NY many years prior. Not expecting to be in NYC anytime soon, I took stock of our meager bottle collection. I had the gin (3 bottles of Hendrick’s for some reason), but had to track down bottles of Creme de Violette and Maraschino liqueur. And so down the rabbit hole I went.
If you haven’t already sampled one, I suggest you turn back to my chapter on whiskey and give the Paper Plane a try. That drink is equal parts bourbon, bittersweet Aperol, Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice, and Amaro Nonino. Here, we go with a Mexican- influenced version, subbing tequila for bourbon. It has no grapefruit, but you would swear that was half the ingredients. Avion de Papel is a super refreshing and worthy variant of a modern classic.
Another play on the classic Last Word recipe, this version swaps in Gran Classico for Luxardo Maraschino. Invented in the 2010s by Dan Chadwick and posted to the active online cocktail community, Kindredcocktails.com. Gran Classico is a fortified wine, something like Lillet Blanc.
