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Cocktail History
The Naked & Famous is a modern cocktail that was created in 2011 by Joaquín Simó at Death & Company in New York City, New York. Described by Simó as “the bastard love child born out of an illicit Oaxacan love affair between a Last Word and a Paper Plane,” the recipe sticks with the equal-parts template used in the aforementioned drinks but calls for smoky mezcal as the base spirit and blends it with herbal Yellow Chartreuse, bitter Aperol, and tangy lime.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Mezcal: This is a spirit made in Mexico with agave, sugar, and alcohol that is aged in an underground pit lined with wood. We used Del Maguey Vida Mezcal because it has a palatable mezcal flavor with notes of ginger, cinnamon, and tangerine. For a mocktail version of this drink, try MONDAY Zero Alcohol Mezcal in place of the mezcal.
Yellow Chartreuse: This is a liqueur made in France with over a hundred herbs and plants, spices, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try winter herb syrup in place of the Yellow Chartreuse.
Aperol: This is an apéritif made in Italy with gentian root, rhubarb, cinchona, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Free Spirits Non-Alcoholic Aperitivo in place of the bitter liqueur.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. We used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tasting Notes
The Naked & Famous starts off with the herbal aroma of mezcal that leads into a pretty indescribable flavor featuring herbs, smoke, and sweet citrus, all of which are balanced by lime before ending with Aperol’s bitterness and Chartreuse’s botanicals.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: The equal-parts drink shows its versatility once again! Alex had been wanting to try the Naked & Famous for a while and was blown away from the first taste. Even Kendall, who’s usually mezcal averse, really enjoyed it too.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Joaquin Simó does it again with the Naked & Famous, and although I’ve heard plenty about it being wonderful, I was still surprised at just how good it was at first taste. Having only recently found Yellow Chartreuse in our area, being able to make this was long overdue. The combination of earthy mezcal, herbal and sweet Chartreuse, and slightly bitter Aperol is an indescribable match made in heaven, and everyone, whether you like any of these ingredients on their own or not, should try this once before they die.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I liked both the Last Word and Paper Plane, so when this love child of the two popped up on our calendar, I was intrigued, but I did raise an eyebrow at the recipe’s use of mezcal. The smoky agave spirit is not my go-to as far as spirits go, but I think that’s what really sets the Naked & Famous apart. Because so little is used and it’s matched against two flavorful liqueurs, its harsh edges are really smoothed out. I don’t know that I’d add this to my rotation but have to give it four stars nonetheless because it’s a really delicious drink.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Steve The Bartender’s Cocktail Guide by Steve Roennfeldt.
Add mezcal, Yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, lime juice, and cubed ice to a blender.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Ingredients
Directions
Add mezcal, Yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, lime juice, and cubed ice to a blender.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Make It a Mocktail: Use MONDAY Zero Alcohol Mezcal in place of the mezcal, winter herb syrup in place of the Yellow Chartreuse, and Free Spirits Non-Alcoholic Aperitivo in place of the bitter liqueur to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Modern Cocktails
If you like this modern classic cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Paper Plane: A bourbon cocktail made with Aperol, Amaro Nonino Quintessentia, lemon juice, and a lemon peel
White Negroni: A gin cocktail made with Lillet Blanc, Suze, and a lemon peel
Mott & Mulberry: A rye cocktail made with Luxardo Amaro Abano, apple cider, lemon juice, Demerara syrup, and apple slices
Boo Radley: A bourbon cocktail made with Cynar, cherry liqueur, a lemon peel, and an orange peel
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