The equal parts cocktail formula
The “equal parts cocktail” is one of our favorite formulas for a drink, mostly because it’s so easy to remember! When you’ve made as many cocktail recipes as we have, you start to notice patterns. There’s a long historical tradition in the formula of using equal parts of all ingredients like the Naked and Famous. Here are a few well-known equal parts cocktails: This modern cocktail was created in 2011 as a riff on the classic Last Word cocktail, which we adore. As certified mixologists with over 300 cocktail recipes in our library, this one stands out. It’s crisp, fresh, modern with a retro flair—in fact, it might be kind of perfect. Some modern classic cocktails go on to become “canonized” by the International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails, a list that includes all the classic cocktails (Martini, Manhattan, Whiskey Sour, Old Fashioned and all the greats). A few new cocktails have made the list, and the Naked and Famous is one of them! The official ingredients in a Naked and Famous are 1 ounce each of:
Mezcal Chartreuse (yellow Chartreuse for the IBA official version) Aperol Lime juice
Shake: Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice and then shake until very cold. (Don’t have a cocktail shaker? Use a mason jar with a cover instead.) Strain: Strain the drink into a cocktail glass. (Don’t have a cocktail strainer? Use a fine mesh strainer instead.) Garnish: If you’d like, a lime wedge makes the glass more festive.
Chartreuse is an herbal liqueur that’s been made by French monks since the mid-1700’s. It’s made by aging alcohol with a secret blend of 130 plants. Chartreuse liqueur comes in two colors: green and yellow. What cocktails use Chartreuse? There are several famous Chartreuse cocktails. Green Chartreuse is featured in two iconic classic cocktails, the Last Word and Bijou. It’s also used in a Fernet Sour. Do you really need yellow Chartreuse for a Naked and Famous? Yes and no. If you want to make the most authentic version of this drink, you can try to find yellow. But since most other well-known cocktails only use green Chartreuse, we customized our recipe to use either version.
Another famous Italian aperitif you might know is Campari, the main ingredient in a Negroni. Campari was the first ever aperitif invented in Italy in the 1860’s. Aperol came along in 1919, and it was later bought by the Campari company in the 1990’s. The light flavor of Aperol is much more approachable than bitter Campari, in our opinion.
Mezcal is a type of alcohol made from the agave plant (like tequila). Tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. Only one type of agave plant (blue agave) makes tequila, but mezcal can be made from 11 different varieties of agave. What’s the best mezcal to buy? Go to The Best Mezcal at Any Price. What other cocktails use mezcal? So many! Try these tasty mezcal cocktails like the Mezcal Margarita, Mezcal Negroni, Mezcal Mule, and Mezcal Paloma.
Negroni: Invented in the 1920’s, it features equal parts gin, red vermouth and Campari. Last Word: Invented in 1916, it uses equal parts gin, maraschino, Chartreuse, and lime. Bijou Cocktail: Invented in 1890’s, it stars equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Chartreuse. Paper Plane: Invented in 2007, this modern classic boasts equal parts bourbon, Campari, amaro and lemon.
Another related drink is the Division Bell, which also features mezcal and Aperol (just not in the equal parts ratio!).
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