Naked & Famous Riff | Smoky mezcal, Bruto Americano, Chartreuse & sour lime cocktail

Looking for something strong and bold? Here’s a drink that will whet that appetite. Playing on the Aperol-based Naked & Famous cocktail created by Joaquín Simó at New York’s Death & Co., this variation is delightfully bitter, sour, smoky, and earthy. Made of four equal parts mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Bruto Americano, and fresh lime juice, with added thyme for fragrance and egg white for that silky mouthfeel, we introduce a version of the Naked & Famous cocktail that is well-balanced and complex, boasting a substantial kick and a titillatingly pretty colour.

The original Naked & Famous, which in itself is an evolution of the classic Last Word and a Paper Plane, uses Aperol instead of the Bruto Americano that we’ve introduced here, and does not include the egg white. We also add a herby edge to our version with the addition of fresh thyme.

The drink gets its deep smokiness from the mezcal, but its complex woodsy notes and delightful red colouration comes from the Bruto Americano. Naturally dyed with cochineal, Bruto Americano is an aperitivo liqueur that adds a bracing layer of bitterness with a stark note of citrus to the cocktail.

While the result is impressively strong and bitter, the refreshing tartness of fresh lime combined with subtle sweetness and clinging creaminess makes this particular concoction especially easy to imbibe. Follow the recipe below to try our version of the Naked & Famous cocktail.

Naked & Famous Riff | Smoky Mezcal, Bruto Americano, Yellow Chartreuse & sour lime cocktail

Course: DrinksDifficulty: Easy

A play on the Naked & Famous cocktail created in 2011 by Joaquín Simó at New York’s Death & Co. In this case, Bruto Americano is used in place of Aperol, and egg white is added for silkiness.

Ingredients

• 3/4 ounce mezcal (we use Los Danzantes Joven Mezcal)

• 3/4 ounce Bruto Americano (you can substitute with Aperol or Campari)

• 3/4 ounce yellow Chartreuse

• 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

• 1 egg white

• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

• thyme leaves to garnish

Preparation

• Add all ingredients into a shaker, cover, dry shake (without ice) to emulsify the egg white and create a nice foam, about 40 seconds.
• Top with ice, cover, and shake until chilled, about 15 seconds.
• Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.
• To garnish, sprinkle a few thyme leaves over the top of the foam.

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