Strawberry Paper Plane

Paper Planes are my favorite cocktail, and it’s about time I finally made you one for the blog! They are supremely easy to make, extra boozy (if you’re into that thing) and sweet but not too sweet. They are like a sharper, tangy strawberry lemonade, and they are the perfect drink for summer.

Here, I mix a classic paper plane with some olive oil marinated strawberries, and I know, I know, you’re probably asking why put olive oil in a cocktail?

And for me, the reasons are multiple, but the two that stand out are it’s delicious, and it’s also really visually appealing. Olive oil (only use the good stuff here! I love Graza for this recipe) is filled with bright, peppery flavor, and it’s a known fact that pepper and strawberries pair wonderfully together. My friend even made a strawberry black pepper nut butter once, and it was divine. But here, the olive oil floats to the top of the cocktail, giving you a rich, earthy, peppery note with every bright, herbaceous, sip of the paper plane cocktail. It’s delicious.

Ingredients in a paper plane

The classic ingredients for a paper plane is equal parts Aperol, Amaro Nonino, lemon juice, and bourbon. Shake and serve over ice, it’s that simple! Here, we flex our cocktail muscles a bit and use the following:

• 2 small strawberries
• 2 teaspoons high quality olive oil
• 1 ounce Aperol
• 1 ounce Amaro Nonino
• 1 ounce bourbon of choice
• 1 ounce lemon juice

How do you make a paper plane?

For this paper plane cocktail, it’s just four simple steps:

1. In a bowl, muddle the strawberries and olive oil together. Let this sit for 5 minutes to let the strawberries release their natural juices.
2. In a cocktail shaker, add the aperol, amaro, bourbon and lemon juice. Fill up with ice and shake for 30 seconds.
3. To a lowball glass, add the strawberries and a large ice cube. Pour the drink over top and drizzle with any remaining strawberry & olive oil left in the bowl.
4. Enjoy ice cold, preferably on a hot day 🙂

And that’s it for this paper plane cocktail! This post isn’t sponsored, but if you’d give some love to my friends over at Graza, it’s always appreciated.

I hope you make this, and let me know if you enjoy!