Boulevardier recipe
A Negroni's whiskey-drinking cousin — richer, warmer, and just as bitter.
Method: Stir ·
Glass: Rocks glass or coupe ·
Time: 4 min ·
Difficulty: Intermediate ·
Family: The Old Fashioned Family
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Bourbon or Rye (Bulleit Bourbon works great)
- 1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula)
- 1 oz Campari
How to make a Boulevardier
- Add bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Campari to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir for 30 seconds — you want it cold and properly diluted.
- Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube, or into a chilled coupe.
- Express an orange peel over the surface and drop it in.
Garnish
Orange peel, expressed over the drink.
Pro tip
The ratio matters more than the specific brands. If you find Campari too bitter, try 1.5:1:0.75 instead of equal parts. Rye whiskey makes it spicier and drier; bourbon makes it rounder and sweeter. Both are correct — it's your drink.
History of the Boulevardier
Created in the 1920s by Erskine Gwynne, an American writer living in Paris who published a magazine called 'The Boulevardier.' He was basically a Negroni guy who preferred whiskey to gin. The recipe first appeared in Harry McElhone's 1927 book 'Barflies and Cocktails.'
Flavour profile
Bitter, Warm, Herbal, Orange
Variations
- Old Pal — Use rye and dry vermouth instead of bourbon and sweet vermouth
- Left Hand — Add two dashes of chocolate bitters
- Mezcal Boulevardier — Replace bourbon with mezcal for smoke and bitterness
Practise making the Boulevardier in the free Virtual Bar game.