If you saw the Naked & Famous cocktail on a local cocktail menu it would most definitely catch your eye. The name alone conjures up celebrity images we might rather scrub from our memory. However, the Naked & Famous cocktail ingredients beg a second glance.

Mezcal, Chartreuse and Aperol weave together a little Naked & Famous cocktail magic in this beautifully hued classically styled cocktail. Joaquin Simó of Death & Company, NYC, deconstructed the Last Word cocktail and gave it a breath of new life in the Naked & Famous cocktail recipe.

Naked & Famous Cocktail Recipe

Naked & Famous

3/4 ounce Mezcal

3/4 ounce Yellow Chartreuse

3/4 ounce Aperol

3/4 ounce Fresh Lime Juice

Combine liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into chilled cocktail glass or coupe.

Naked & Famous Cocktail Tasting Notes

In my opinion the Naked & Famous cocktail only resembles the Last Word cocktail by use of Chartreuse, lime juice and using ingredients in equal measure. This is where similarities get twisted. But then again, Naked & Famous is a reinvention rather than restoration. The ingredients mingle to produce a nice smoky grapefruit flavor. Aperol brings that hint of bitter grapefruit peel. Chartreuse adds just enough sweetness. The cocktail is completely balanced and refreshing. Just don’t expect it to be the Last Word.

A Word About Zignum Reposado Mezcal

Joaquin Simó favors a substantially smoky mezcal in the Naked & Famous cocktail due to the small measure of mezcal used. As clarification and not to misrepresent Joaquin’s mezcal use in the Naked & Famous cocktail, Joaquin recommends a different mezcal than the one I had on hand that I am mentioning below.

I used Zignum Reposado Mezcal. I also used Zignum Reposado Mezcal {and Chartreuse} in The French Intervention cocktail while reviewing The Drunken Botanist book.

Zignum Reposado Mezcal aroma is smoky sweet, not sugary sweet. Earthy sweet. Like sweetness associated with sweet aroma of fresh mown grass. Possibly even the aroma of fresh spring rain and the smell of fresh tamped soil after the rain. The aroma is fresh sweetness of Mother Earth. Though Mother Earth hasn’t played very nice this spring. Hint of vanilla in the nose. Something similar to honey and orange.

Zignum Reposado Mezcal Taste: Earthy. Immediately lush, honey. The taste goes directly to the spicy, earthy flavor one expects from Mezcal. Orange blossom sweetness. I picture bees gathering nectar from blossoms. Rather nice and then BANG! The spicy flavor kick hits. My lips even felt the spice and went a little numb. That’s sheer WOW factor.

The color is a little darker than gold.

There is honey in the flavor, but not sweet like honey. I like it. I could sip this SLOWLY neat {and have since the first tasting}. Better yet, pour Zignum Reposado Mezcal over a large ice ball and watch it work its magic in the glass.

Review sample courtesy representatives of Zignum Mezcal. Follow @ZignumMezcal & @ZignumUSA on Twitter and facebook.com/Zignum

All content ©2013 Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist. All Rights Reserved. Chat with Cheri @Intoxicologist on Twitter and facebook.com/Intoxicologist or str8upcocktails@gmail.com