Equal parts cocktails can be a lot of fun. They’re incredibly easy to make and remember – all you need to know is the ingredients, and you’re good to go. Some of the most iconic cocktails are made in equal parts: the Negroni, the Brandy Alexander, the Corpse Reviver #2… the list goes on. Equal parts cocktails are having a bit of a moment thanks to Kara Newman’s recent book Shake. Stir. Sip., a compendium of cocktails made in equal parts from the classics to newer recipes.
It’s tricky to find ingredients that harmonize together in equal parts, especially when you get up to four or five in a drink. And yet when it works, it’s magic. Some of my all-time favorite cocktails are equal-parts drinks, like the Last Word and the Paper Plane. So I was bound to love the Naked & Famous, a mashup of the two made deliciously smoky with the addition of mezcal. This is a recipe for the all-time favorites list. If you haven’t tried it, you definitely should. Smoky and citrusy, it’s deliciously complex and perfectly balanced. It’s amazing what equal parts can do.
History: The Naked & Famous was created by Joaquín Simó at Death & Company in New York in 2011. In the book he writes: This cocktail is the bastard child born out of an illicit Oaxacan love affair between the classic Last Word and the Paper Plane. Aptly put.
Naked & Famous
3/4 oz. mezcal
3/4 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
3/4 oz. Aperol
3/4 oz. lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. No garnish.
Recipe from Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails.