Wandering Rye Whisky · Recipe 43
The Paper Plane — Rye Edition
Four-way equal parts. No room to hide.
Ingredients
- 22 ml Wandering Rye Whisky
- 22 ml Aperol
- 22 ml Amaro Nonino
- 22 ml fresh lemon juice
Method
Shake. Serve in a Coupe. Garnish with Lemon twist.
The story
Sam Ross created the Paper Plane at Little Branch in New York in 2008, building an equal-parts cocktail around Amaro Nonino and Aperol that became one of the most widely replicated modern classics. It's a direct descendant of the Last Word's equal-parts philosophy and shares the same quality: when all four ingredients are in balance, no single one dominates. Substituting rye whisky for bourbon transforms the Paper Plane's character — rye spice gives the equal-parts structure a sharper edge. Wandering Rye, with its corn whisky depth alongside rye's grain character, creates a more complex version than a standard rye would. The Amaro Nonino's mountain herbs and the Aperol's orange bitterness complete the four corners of this drink.
Tasting note
Amber-orange, equal-parts complex. Wandering Rye's rye spice and corn depth negotiate with Aperol's bitter citrus and Nonino's herbal mountain character in real time. The lemon holds the peace. This is a cocktail that rewards attention.