Equal parts mezcal, Aperol, Yellow Chartreuse, and lime—a smoke-and-citrus meditation from Death & Co.
The Naked and Famous is the Last Word's smoky sibling. Created by Joaquín Simó at Death & Co in New York in 2011, the drink applies the equal-parts sour framework to mezcal, using Yellow Chartreuse instead of Green and Aperol instead of Maraschino. The substitutions are precise: Yellow Chartreuse runs gentler and more honeyed than Green, which lets the mezcal's smoke come through rather than being subsumed by herbaceous intensity. Aperol brings rhubarb bitterness and orange sweetness that Maraschino never would.
The result is simultaneously bitter and bright, smoky and fresh. The lime pulls it together the same way it does in the Last Word—as acid arbiter holding four assertive flavors in equilibrium. The amber-orange color is unlike the Last Word's jade green; there is nothing herbal-clinical about this drink's appearance. It looks like late afternoon light through smoked glass.
Joven mezcal—young, unaged, with pronounced smoke from the roasted agave piñas—is the correct choice. A reposado or añejo would bury the Aperol. The drink requires a mezcal willing to assert itself.
Equal parts, shaken. 8cl total. Double strain into a chilled coupe. No garnish.
The drink is sensitive to Aperol lot variation — older bottles can be less bitter and more syrupy. Taste before shaking and adjust if needed. Yellow Chartreuse is non-negotiable; Green Chartreuse produces a different drink (earthier, more alpine) and loses the smoke-honey interplay that defines this one. Use a well-chilled coupe — the drink is best very cold.