The Boulevardier is a classic cocktail with a name that stirs my imagination of a non-chalant gentleman – a flaneur – wearing a hat and a long coat meandering the avenues of Paris. But that’s just my romantic notion.
The Boulevardier is credited to American bartender Harry McElhone at Harry’s New York Bar, in Paris. The drink is also credited to Erskinne Gwynne, another American who moved to Paris and started a magazine called The Boulevardier.
The Boulevardier is essentially a Negroni with the classic 1:1:1 ratio where the gin is swapped with bourbon or rye. It’s easy to prepare and yields a balanced and sophisticated drink suitable for an aperitif or an after dinner cocktail. I prefer it with rye whiskey such as Knob Creek Rye and when it comes to the classic ratio, the Campari tends to dominate so I increase the ratio to 1.5 for the whiskey/rye.
I’ve had several variations of the Boulevardier, some were made with Maker’s Mark Bourbon, others with Chivas Regal Extra, even Laphroaig 10 year old. The sweet vermouth component was at times reduced by half with an equal measure of Punt e Mes added along with chocolate bitters. It made a delicious dessert-style cocktail.
Boulevardier Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 45 ml rye whiskey
- 30 ml Campari
- 30 ml Cinzano Rosso
Garnish: lemon twist
Glass: coupette
Method
In a mixing glass filled with ice, combine all ingredients and stir. Strain into a coupette and garnish with a lemon twist.
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