Slimy paper plane

A few years ago, Alex and I started batching cocktails and storing them in the freezer. The batch may sound flashy and professional, but at best we were involved in rudimentary maths (“1 oz? nah, 1 cup!”) and advanced lazy (ahem, preadness). The cocktails were ready to be prepared, very cold, and the ice was not able to melt and water quickly won. And it’s always fun to remember that the perfect Manhattan is already ready, as if the habit continues, as if a friend is stopping by and trying to win a medal at the improvised Olympics.

Most freezer batch cocktails are easy. The lukewarm water comes in and it cools down. But earlier this year, we made a paper plane, poured it into a freezer jar, and was too tired to enjoy it (adult!), and came back two days later (science lessons, covering my ears!), and that low cocktail actually freezes when it freezes. Alcohol is probably a lower freeze point than water, as we learned a long time ago, so vodka is stored in the freezer (you are my Russian step-in-law) pours, but paper planes containing both lemon juice and low-russing apolol will drain more advanced amaro and bourbon to complete a half-zen state throw.

But I honestly feel that “slash” will lower them. This is something I’ve learned over the years that I’ve been trying to write about frozen cocktail recipes. It’s difficult to make textures suitable for blenders. There are too many liquids or liquids that are not the Arctic to begin with, everything becomes liquefied. There is not enough liquid and nothing blended. Too thick ice will not homogenize. Too melting ice. But these slimy paper planes were the textures that were all blender cocktails of my dreams/dreams and no blender was needed. It’s gorgeous (aperol, thanks for the orange glow), it’s well balanced (the bourbon smooths it, the amaro harmonizes it, the lemon sharpens it), and it feels like a popsicle in a glass, you pour it into a jar and forget it in the day. We are planning to win this summer, and it’s about to begin.