The Subtle Difference Between A Paper Plane Drink And A Broken Plane Drink

With so many mixed drinks out there, it's hard to pick just one. The best and most popular cocktails of all time are a perfect balance of every ingredient, enticing to look at, and delicious to drink. Lots of cocktails fulfill this criteria but, unfortunately, due to similar recipes and naming conventions, it can be hard to tell them all apart.

Such is the case with the paper plane and the broken plane. While the similar names are certainly confusing, fortunately, the ingredients for both are just different enough to make them distinct. The biggest difference between the two is the alcohol used. A paper plane uses bourbon and aperol — a liquor most commonly used to make an aperol spritz — while a broken plane uses gin and elderflower liqueur. The two cocktails also vary slightly in appearance. A paper plane tends to be a more vibrant orange while a broken plane is yellow in appearance. Thankfully, both drinks are very easy to make; you can't go wrong choosing between the two.

Making paper plane and broken plane cocktails

What makes paper planes and broken planes so popular is that all the ingredients are measured equally. This means no fancy measuring or ratios are required to make these drinks. Combined with their refreshing citrus flavor, both are perfect cocktails to make in batches for summer.

As for making the two cocktails, the process is pretty straightforward. A paper plane requires equal parts bourbon, aperol, amaro nonino, and lemon juice; just shake the ingredients together in a shaker with ice for roughly 10 seconds, then strain into a chilled glass. You can garnish the cocktail with a slice of citrus, such as grapefruit or orange, but this is optional. A broken plane cocktail also only needs four ingredients measured in equal parts: lemon juice, amaro nonino, gin, and elderflower liqueur. Making this cocktail uses the same process, which is why some consider the broken plane to be a spinoff of the paper plane. This drink can also be garnished if desired, but it's still optional.

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