Photo: girls
Hello, my little happy hour connoisseurs. I wanted to tell you that after four years and over 200 cocktails, I’m going to take a little break from this column. The truth is, I just don’t drink as much as I used to and my passion for cocktails has diminished. This isn’t fair to all of you, so I’m handing the 3-ingredient happy hour over to someone who can give the topic the attention it deserves.
I leave you in very competent hands. I don’t know because Devojka trained at Attaboy (although it doesn’t hurt), but because I enjoyed several drinks made by her skillful hands – some of which made it onto this column – and they were all delicious.
We’re also changing the number of ingredients. I’ve pretty much run out of three-ingredient libations, so let’s increase it to four to do some sort of reset and let Devojka start a new tablet. I can’t promise I’ll never write a cocktail recipe again – and I’ll still be there – but I’m excited to see what devojka and one extra ingredient can do.
Greetings and love,
Claire
As I grew up, my siblings and I would leave our home in California every other summer to visit relatives in Skopje, Macedonia. I remember when I was seven and had lunch at my aunt’s house on Sundays, moving restlessly in my chair, a touch of velor oriflame lipstick on my cheek from the exuberant greetings Tetki and Babi gave me delivered. The table was littered with Turkish coffee cups after dinner, the air was thick with secondhand smoke and beauty counter perfume, while chain-smoking adults chatted and clapped around me, stopping only occasionally to tell me, “абе земи касни си, не се срами. “(Don’t be shy, eat.)
G / O Media can receive a commission
Summer in Skopje is oppressive and hot, making the already picky palate of a child even more difficult to appease. The cocoa is too bitter, the jam too syrupy and sweet, the Русска salata laden with mayo is sweating in the wedding dishes – a horror show. I remember desperately turning my attention to a crystal bowl full of neon-coated candy – barely exciting for that Walgreens candy aisle veteran. I half-heartedly read through the selection of unfamiliar flavors; Instead of blue raspberry, green apple or watermelon, there were sour cherries, apricots, wild blueberries and mountain strawberries. I remember plucking out the apricot, unceremoniously sticking it in my mouth, and being utterly shocked by the lively taste boost I was experiencing.
I can imagine that the experience of sipping a paper plane for the first time must be like this for so many people – a kaleidoscopic hit made of lacquered nectar that is fresh, juicy, light, sweet, tart, bitter and unexpectedly complex at the same time is. It was definitely for me. In what I like to refer to as “sorbet cocktails”, Sam Ross’ beloved classic is a standout classic. And like its peers, it has to be shaken, bubbling and giggling in its coupé, ready to be pushed back while it is still very much alive. But shaking a cocktail to perfection is hard work. It requires energy that (at least for me) is easily consumed by the July heat and the weight of life in the modern world. For a cocktail that goes down in a few simple sips, the juice is sometimes not worth the juice.
For the lazy evening when you need refreshment and you don’t mind – maybe even enjoy – sipping the mushy remains of a drink that’s past its prime (I like flavored ice chips, damn it), may I suggest your paper Planning on putting on crushed ice? My preferred version of this has a slight modification: I use the original version’s Campari instead of its later successor, Aperol – but you can of course use the Aperol if you want; both versions are equally divine. To make a paper airplane you will need:
- 3/4 ounce lemon juice (fresh only please)
- 1/2 ounce of Campari with ¼ oz of plain syrup or 3/4 of aperol
- 3/4 ounce Amaro Nonino *
- 3/4 ounce bourbon
* No substitutions I’m afraid. While I’ve seen it with other amaro, there is no way to get essentially close to what is at the heart of this cocktail. While I moan at the annual markup of the stuff, a bottle of Amaro Nonino is relatively easy to find and a wonderful addition to your home bar.
Put the ingredients in a tumbler and swirl well. Fill a glass with crushed ice and strain a quarter of the mixture into it, then press the ice into place with the bottom of the tumbler (the liquid melts the ice a little, which creates more space in the glass to maximize crushed ice capacity. ) Add more ice and strain the rest of the liquid into the glass filled with ice. Top up with more crushed ice. No garnish necessary, but if you need accessories, a slice of orange will do.
A note on ice: if you are using crushed ice produced by your freezer, please fill a tall mug full before you start making your drink. These things are slow and your cocktail will wither and water down before you’ve poured the last portion of the mixture in. Tragic.
