I had a Friday cocktail of an adjusted paper plane:
2oz bourbon
1oz Aperol
1oz Amaro Nonino
1 spoonful Campari
1.75oz lemon (this was too much, the lemon was quite juicy and I wasn’t drinking anything else tonight so put in all the juice of one whole lemon. I’d recommend a generous 1 oz.)
I always think I don’t like Campari, it doesn’t taste good. But a little bit into something already complex can improve it.
Some Ancho Reyes and a tincture I made, habanero and achiote. Infused vodka for a week with chopped garden habaneros, then added achiote paste for a day, then strained. I made it for the Cima Summer cocktail but made extra, it’s really good.
I recently had one at Outback restaurant where they just shook it with jalapeno slices, and floated a couple slices in the glass, a “mango jalapeno margarita” that was surprisingly delicious as well.
Wow, more complicated than I was expecting! I might try a couple of these options though.