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The Naked & Famous is a modern classic from one of the most influential cocktail bars of the century. Joaquín Simó created it in 2011 at Death & Co in New York, and he has described it as the love child of two other modern favorites, the Last Word and the Paper Plane, raised in the mountains of Oaxaca. That is a pretty good summary of what ends up in the glass.
Like both of its parents, it is an equal-parts drink: mezcal, Aperol, yellow Chartreuse and fresh lime juice, shaken and served up. The mezcal brings a gentle smoke, the Aperol adds bittersweet orange, and the yellow Chartreuse layers in honey, saffron and herbs. Lime cuts through all of it and keeps the drink bright. The result is a pale coral cocktail that is smoky, sweet, bitter and sour all at once, without any one note taking over.
It is softer and sweeter than the Last Word and smokier than the Paper Plane, and it has become one of the best introductions to mezcal around. The equal-parts build also makes it easy to remember and hard to mess up, which helps explain why it shows up on so many bar menus today.
Glass: Cocktail glass | Strength: Medium | Serves: 1 | Prep Time: 5 minutes
Bartenders tip: An espadín mezcal gives balanced smoke without overwhelming the other three ingredients. Do not swap in green Chartreuse, which is much hotter and more intense and will throw the whole drink off. Shake hard, double strain and serve in a well-chilled coupe. It needs no garnish, though a thin lime wheel will not hurt.
Steps
- Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
- Shake hard until well chilled.
- Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve.
