The paper plane is a whiskey-based cocktail created in 2008. In 2020 it was added to the International Bartenders Association's (IBA) list of official cocktails as a new era drink.^[1][2]

Quick Facts IBA official cocktail, Type ...

Paper plane

IBA official cocktail
Type	Cocktail
Base spirit	Bourbon whiskey
Served	Straight up: chilled, without ice
Standard drinkware	Cocktail glass
IBA specified ingredients†	30 ml Bourbon whiskey 30 ml Amaro (liqueur) 30 ml Aperol 30 ml fresh lemon juice
Preparation	Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker, shake well with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass.
† Paper plane recipe at International Bartenders Association

Close

The cocktail consists of equal parts bourbon whiskey, Aperol, Amaro, and lemon juice and is served in a standard cocktail glass. The IBA suggests the drink should be prepared without garnish,^[2] but Difford's Guide and Esquire magazine both recommend a lemon twist.^[3][4]

The paper plane was created in 2008 by Sam Ross and Sasha Petraske. They created the drink as a favor for a former colleague, Toby Maloney, who wanted a summer drink to serve at his bar The Violet Hour. Ross describes the drink as "a riff on a Last Word cocktail" and says the name was inspired by the M.I.A. track "Paper Planes," a song he and Petraske listened to often while creating the drink.^[5][6]

When the drink was first served at The Violet Hour, Maloney listed it on the menu as the paper airplane, because he misheard Ross's "slightly buzzed" voicemail. Ross's original recipe called for Campari rather than Aperol. After submitting the recipe to Maloney, Ross began having second thoughts and revisited the drink, determining that it was too bitter and didn't reach his desired level of sweetness.^[6][7] He also says he tried several different spirits as the drink's base, including rye, applejack, and brandy, before selecting bourbon.^[8]

• List of cocktails
• Naked and famous (cocktail)