Naked & Famous Cocktail Recipe

The Naked & Famous is an equal-parts cocktail consisting of mezcal, Aperol, Yellow Chartreuse, and lime juice. It is served up, and has a smoky, bittersweet flavor profile. Widely regarded as a modern classic, it was created by bartender Joaquín Simó around 2011, during his time behind the bar at New York City’s Death & Co. 

While the Naked & Famous is essentially a modified version of the pre-Prohibition Last Word cocktail, Simó also drew inspiration from the Paper Plane, a drink that first appeared during the so-called “craft cocktail resurgence” of the mid-2000s, created by Sam Ross for legendary bar The Violet Hour in Chicago. Whereas the Last Word traditionally has a base of gin, and Ross’s Paper Plane opts for Bourbon, Simó anchors the Naked & Famous in mezcal. 

Though now widely available Stateside, around the time of the cocktail’s creation, only a small handful of brands exported the Mexican agave-based spirit out of its native country. Along with drinks like Phil Ward’s Oaxaca Old Fashioned (created in 2007), the Naked & Famous helped introduce U.S. audiences to mezcal as a category, as well as show its uniqueness and versatility as an ingredient in mixed drinks.

Since its debut, the Naked & Famous has been a massive hit, and has grown from its origins as a house cocktail to a recipe that’s required knowledge for modern bartenders.

Why the Naked & Famous works

While an equal-parts cocktail makes for quick and easy mixing, it can also pose challenges. Equal parts can make for speedy measuring, but can also fall out of balance much more easily if any shortcuts are taken or ingredients are swapped.

The Naked & Famous works by taking four very unique flavor profiles — smoky spirit, citrus, bitter amaro, and herbal liqueur — and arranging them in a way such that none overpowers the other. 

With such a streamlined ingredient list, swapping in elements can be difficult. Aperol is employed as a lighter choice of a classic Italian red bitter (compared to, say, Campari), while the sweeter and mild Yellow Chartreuse is used over the more ubiquitous, and pungent, Green Chartreuse. This allows the earthy and smoky notes of the mezcal to not feel muddied, as they would if the herbal or bitter elements were stronger. Tart notes from fresh lime cuts through it all, creating a drink that, despite its wealth of disparate contrasting flavors, is eminently refreshing. 

While you can attempt to substitute a different amaro or herbal liqueur, or play with the ratios, the Naked & Famous works best when made to its original specifications. Simó’s iteration at Death & Co (and later Pouring Ribbons) opted for Del Maguey’s Chicicapa mezcal, though this can be a pricer option. “Choosing a big, aggressively smoky and funky mezcal was key here, as there is relatively little of it in the drink and it needs to stand up against two liqueurs,” he says. However, any mezcal with a strong profile will work.