balloon farm

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Recently, a guest came into work and asked for a Paper Plane, and we began talking about ways to make the drink if Amaro Nonino is unavailable. After I mentioned that I have seen Averna and Montenegro used as substitutes, he declared that Cynar was surprisingly good as a fill-in; therefore, two weeks ago I riffed on it with Scotch at home. Cynar and Aperol are a duo that I have enjoyed in a variety of drinks like the Juan Bautista, Mad Max and Rucola Negroni, so I figured that it would turn out decent. I originally tried as an equal parts number and perhaps it would have worked better with a robust and smoky single malt, but with a blend, I found better success being spirit forward here. For a name, I dubbed this one after a 1960s performance space headed by Andy Warhol that I learned about in the St. Marks Is Dead book. In the glass, the Balloon Farm lifted to the nose with lemon, orange, and Scotch aromas. Next, lemon, caramel, and orange notes on the sip bounced into Scotch, vegetal, orange, and anise flavors on the swallow.