Naked and Famous

Naked and Famous is a powerhouse of a cocktail. With four ingredients that on their own are powerful or even intense, the balanced and smooth taste of this cocktail is a perfect example of how mixology can be a work of art. Originally a riff on a Last Word, it has since become an official IBA cocktail, and this cocktail definitely deserves its own spotlight.

Ingredients

Mezcal

This cocktail can carry even a very smokey mezcal, so any will do, but we recommend Del Maguey Mezcal Vida.

22.5 ml
Herbal Liqueur

It's very difficult to find a liqueur that can substitute the strong and unique herbal flavor of Yellow Chartreuse for this cocktail.

22.5 ml
Amaro

While it is possible to substitute Aperol with another Amaro like Campari in some cocktails, we don’t recommend it here, because this cocktail requires such a delicate balance.

22.5 ml
Lime Juice

Freshly squeezed.

22.5 ml
Black Olives (Garnish)

1 to 3 on a cocktail skewer.

3 pieces

Method

Step 1: Cool your serving glass

This is a no-ice cocktail, so it is important to cool the serving glass beforehand. Put it in the freezer or add in some ice cubes to chill it while mixing the cocktail. Use a Nick & Nora glass, a Martini glass, or a Champagne Coupe.

Step 2: Add ingredients to shaker

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add plenty of ice.

Step 3: Shake for 10-20 seconds

Shake the cocktail vigorously for 10 to 20 seconds until the tin becomes frosty on the outside.

Step 4: Fine strain into glass

Pour the cocktail through a fine strainer, to remove any lime pulp, and into the chilled serving glass without ice.

Step 5: Garnish with black olives

Garnish with 1 to 3 black olives on a cocktail skewer.

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Ingredient #1

Mezcal

Del Maguey Mezcal Vida

Del Maguey Vida is a favorite among bartenders all over the world, and with good reason. It has an all-around flavor profile, which works in almost any Mezcal cocktail, including Naked and Famous. If you were to have just one Mezcal bottle in your home bar, then this is the one.
Ingredient #2

Herbal Liqueur

Yellow Chartreuse

As with the green edition of this bartender’s favorite, Yellow Chartreuse can’t really be replaced. It’s unique and delicious, and you should definitely have a bottle in your home bar.
Ingredient #3

Amaro

Aperol

Aperol is cheap and widely available, and we see no reason to try to substitute it, as it yields the perfect result for the Naked & Famous cocktail.

Flavor profile

While the flavor of this equal-part cocktail does represent each of its four ingredients, it does so in a way, where the ingredients support each other, and make each other better. There so no obvious star in this cocktail, each ingredient adding its own perspective on this beautiful symbiosis. The smokey yet fresh taste of the mezcal, the bitter but also sweet component of the Aperol, the depth and complexity from the herbal taste of the Chartreuse, and the rounding tartness of the lime, all work together in creating this amazing cocktail.

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