Naked and Famous - Mezcal, Aperol & Yellow Chartreuse Cocktail

The Naked and Famous brings together equal parts mezcal, Yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, and fresh lime juice. Smoke and roasted agave meet honeyed herbs, bittersweet orange, and sharp citrus, creating a cocktail that tastes far more complicated than its four-part formula suggests. A hard shake adds the dilution needed to pull those bold flavors into balance.

Background

Bartender Joaquín Simó created the Naked and Famous at Death & Co in New York City in 2011. The drink draws inspiration from two influential equal-parts cocktails: the Last Word and the Paper Plane. Mezcal replaces the traditional whiskey or gin base, while Yellow Chartreuse and Aperol provide a softer herbal and bittersweet combination.

The drink has since become a widely recognized modern classic and is included on the International Bartenders Association's official cocktail list.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• Mezcal - supplies smoke, roasted agave, earthiness, and the cocktail's spirit backbone.
• Yellow Chartreuse - adds honeyed herbal sweetness and botanical complexity.
• Aperol - contributes bittersweet orange, rhubarb, and a lighter bitter edge.
• Lime Juice - supplies the acidity that keeps the three alcoholic ingredients in balance.

A joven mezcal with noticeable smoke and fruit works especially well here.

Yellow Chartreuse is difficult to replace exactly. Another herbal liqueur can produce an interesting variation, but it will noticeably change the drink.

Equipment

• Cocktail shaker
• Jigger
• Strainer
• Cocktail glass
• Ice

Four Equal Parts, Four Different Jobs

The Naked and Famous is easy to memorize because every ingredient uses the same measure, but the balance is more sophisticated than the recipe looks.

Mezcal gives the drink smoke and structure. Yellow Chartreuse brings rich herbal sweetness, while Aperol adds orange-driven bitterness at a gentler intensity. Lime cuts through both liqueurs and keeps the finished cocktail bright. Because every ingredient is assertive, accurate equal measurements matter.

Substitutions & Variations

• Use another flavorful mezcal if your usual bottle is unavailable.
• A less smoky mezcal will make the Aperol and Yellow Chartreuse more prominent.
• Lemon juice can work experimentally, but lime is central to the established recipe.
• Green Chartreuse is considerably more intense than Yellow Chartreuse and should not be treated as a straight one-for-one replacement if you want the original balance.
• The equal-parts format makes scaling easy: simply use the same quantity of every ingredient.

Helpful Tips

• Use fresh lime juice. Citrus quality is especially noticeable in a four-ingredient drink.
• Measure every ingredient rather than free-pouring. The equal-parts balance depends on precision.
• Shake with plenty of ice to properly chill and dilute the cocktail.
• Chill the serving glass before you begin.
• No garnish is necessary; the clean presentation is intentional.
• For two drinks, simply use 1 1/2 oz. of each ingredient and shake in a sufficiently large shaker.