Lost Plane

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The Lost Plane is an equal-parts sour that takes Sam Ross's modern classic, the Paper Plane, and replaces the bourbon with dark black rum. Aperol, Amaro Montenegro and fresh lemon juice stay exactly where they were, so you get the same bittersweet, citrusy balance, only now it rides on molasses and brown sugar instead of oak and corn. It is a bright, grown-up, three-sip kind of drink that belongs at the start of an evening, and it is one of the smartest black rum cocktails to come out of the last decade.

What Is a Lost Plane?

Like its parent, the Lost Plane is four ingredients in equal measure: three-quarters of an ounce each of black rum, an orange-red aperitivo such as Aperol, Amaro Montenegro and lemon juice, shaken and served up in a coupe with an expressed lemon twist. The Paper Plane was created in 2008 by Sam Ross for The Violet Hour in Chicago, and its equal-parts formula has proven remarkably easy to riff on. Swap the spirit and you have a new drink. The Difford's Guide entry credits the Lost Plane to Emily Gosling of the Gosling's rum family, which explains the choice of a heavy, dark Bermuda-style rum as the base.

A Brief History

The Gosling family has been making rum in Bermuda since 1806, and Black Seal is the rum behind the trademarked Dark 'n' Stormy. Emily Gosling, an eighth-generation member of the family and a brand ambassador, developed the Lost Plane as a way to show that Black Seal could hold its own in a modern, amaro-driven cocktail rather than only in a highball with ginger beer. Gosling's publishes the recipe on its own site, and it has since spread to bar menus as a rum alternative to the Paper Plane. The name is a wink: a Paper Plane that has drifted somewhere south of Bermuda.

Flavor Profile and What to Expect

The drink opens with lemon and orange, from the juice and the Aperol, followed by the vanilla-and-orange-peel sweetness of Montenegro. Then the black rum shows up underneath with caramel, molasses and a faint smoky bitterness that plays against the amaro. The finish is bittersweet and quite long. Compared with the bourbon original it is rounder and slightly sweeter, with less spice and more depth. If you like a Naked and Famous or a Jungle Bird, two other drinks that pair a bold spirit with a bitter Italian liqueur, the Lost Plane will feel like a natural next step.

Choosing the Rum

Gosling's Black Seal is the intended rum and gives the drink its signature dark color and soft molasses profile. Cruzan Black Strap makes a heavier, more savory version. A Jamaican black rum such as Myers's adds a fruity funk that works surprisingly well against the amaro. Avoid spiced rum; its added vanilla and cinnamon crowd out the Montenegro. Our rum cocktail guide covers the differences between these styles.

Amaro Notes

Amaro Montenegro is a light, floral, orange-scented amaro from Bologna that plays nicely with almost anything. If you do not have it, Amaro Nonino, the Paper Plane's original amaro, is the closest substitute. Aperol can be swapped for Campari for a much more bitter drink, or for a lighter aperitivo such as Select or Cappelletti to keep it soft.

Popular Variations

Replace the lemon with lime for a more tropical edge. Add a quarter ounce of pineapple juice and you drift toward tiki territory. Use half black rum and half aged Jamaican rum for a funkier base. Serve it on the rocks in a tall glass topped with soda for a session-strength spritz, in the same spirit as the Aperol Spritz. Some bartenders also split the Montenegro with a dark, cola-like amaro such as Averna, which pushes the drink toward the Black Manhattan family.

How to Serve It

Shake hard, fine strain and serve up in a chilled coupe. The lemon twist is important; expressing the oils over the surface adds the citrus aroma that ties the aperitivo and the rum together. No ice in the glass. This is a drink to finish while it is cold.

When to Drink It

The Lost Plane is an aperitivo, so it shines before dinner or as the opening drink at a party. It pairs with salty snacks, olives, cured meats, oysters and anything fried. It is equally at home in summer on a patio and in winter as a bright counterpoint to heavy food. Browse more bitter and sour cocktails in our drink categories.

Why People Love It

Equal-parts drinks are easy to remember and hard to mess up, and the Lost Plane inherits the Paper Plane's near-perfect balance while adding a depth that bourbon cannot provide. It gives black rum a sophisticated role that has nothing to do with tiki mugs or cola, and it converts amaro skeptics one coupe at a time.