In case you hadn’t noticed, the Aperol Spritz has been appointed the drink of the summer more than once in the past few years. As much as we’d like to think that this was just an observation of organic drinking patterns, its surge in popularity was also thanks to deliberate marketing campaigns from Aperol’s parent company, Campari. I still think it’s a fabulous drink: It’s got a vivid tangerine-sunset color, it’s refreshing, and you can find the ingredients (Aperol, sparkling wine, and sparkling water) pretty much everywhere. But there’s a lot more to Aperol than the spritz.
What if I told you that there was a drink out there that leveraged our beloved Aperol in a totally different way? A drink not only for the summer, but also literally every other season? Meet the Naked and Famous, a startling concoction of smoky mezcal, herbal yellow Chartreuse, lime juice, and of course, Aperol. The drink hits all the notes you want a cocktail to hit. It’s complex yet approachable, slightly bitter but still refreshing.
The Naked and Famous belongs to a category of cocktails that I like to call “quartets”—shaken drinks with four equal parts, usually citrus plus three intense ingredients that counterintuitively work in harmony. The archetypal quartet is the Last Word, a Prohibition-era cocktail that’s made with gin, Green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice. Another is the Corpse Reviver No. 2: gin, Lillet Blanc, orange liqueur, and lemon. And modern examples include the Final Ward and the Naked and Famous.
The latter was developed by legendary barman Joaquín Simó around 2011 when he was working at New York City neo-speakeasy Death & Co. “It’s easily my sluttiest recipe,” he tells me. “I knew I wanted to work on a Last Word riff, and I wanted to do it with a Latin spirit…The equal parts construction is a freaking nightmare; it’s really hard to get that right.” Once he decided to substitute Green with Yellow Chartreuse and maraschino liqueur for Aperol, it was simply a matter of finding the right mezcal.
Simó went with Del Maguey Chichicapa, a slightly expensive bottle but well worth it for its higher proof. “It’s also incredibly fruity and got a little bit of barnyard funk,” Simó says. “It’s got a really strong flavor because it has to compete with the 130 ingredients in yellow Chartreuse.” If the Chichicapa isn't an option, any strongly flavored and fruity mezcal should work fine.
If you ask me, “Naked and Famous” has to be one of the best cocktail names there is. Simó took the phrase from trip-hop artist Tricky’s song “Tricky Kid” off his 1996 album Pre-Millennium Tension. Like the Hanky Panky and Pornstar Martini, a great name serves the same function as nice glassware—it’s not always essential but it can be the final flourish that elevates a cocktail to one you crave year round.
Here’s how to make a Naked and Famous
Combine ¾ oz. mezcal (preferably Del Maguey Chichicapa), ¾ oz. yellow Chartreuse, ¾ oz. Aperol and ¾ oz. fresh lime juice in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.