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Boulevardier

The Boulevardier Cocktail can be considered a variation of the Negroni Cocktail. The two recipes differ only in the base spirit used. Instead of gin, the Boulevardier recipe uses bourbon whisky. We show you how to prepare the Boulevardier cocktail very easily. Discover the drink now at home and enjoy a real classic!

Boulevardier Cocktail Recipe

  • 4,5 cl Bourbon Whiskey
  • 3 cl Campari
  • 3 cl Vermouth

Step by Step Guide

  1. Place all ingredients and ice cubes in a mixing glass.
  2. Stir with a bar spoon for about 25 seconds.
  3. Strain into a tumbler, grainiere and then serve.
Boulevardier
chris-barkeeper-nation
Recipe by Chris

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The preparation of this cocktail is actually relatively simple: however, you need the right equipment for it. Measure out the bourbon, Campari and vermouth one after the other and put the spirits into a mixing glass. Add a few ice cubes and stir the ingredients with a bar spoon. After about 25 seconds, strain the mixture through a strainer into a tumbler and then grit it (for example, with an orange zest).

This is what the Boulevardier tastes like

4.8/5

37 Reviews

The Boulevardier is a very tart, bitter and alcoholic cocktail. If you are looking for a sweet and fruity drink, you are in the wrong place! The taste of the red drink is popular above all with connoisseurs. The rough notes of the whisky make the cocktail even more tart and edgy than the Negroni. Try the Boulevardier yourself and let yourself be enchanted by its tart and rough taste.

How the name came about

At first glance, the cocktail’s name is a little bumpy and difficult to pronounce. Loosely translated, a boulevardier is a man who is out and about in the city. Nothing really exciting, then. Every now and then, the drink is also called a whisky Negroni, although this cocktail may have preceded the Negroni. The exact history of its origins, however, is very sketchy.

Originated in the 1920s

The Boulevardier is said to have been first prepared in the 1920s by Erskine Gwynne. Gwynne was the editor of a small daily newspaper called the Boulevardier. After the drink was included in Harry MacElhone’s book “Barflies and Cocktails” in 1927, it gained international renown and success. In more and more cocktail bars, this drink could be ordered and enjoyed.

Particularly important for the success of the drink is the perfect ratio between whiskey, vermouth and bitter aperitif. Unlike the Negroni, where the drink tends to be young and refreshing, the Boulevardier tastes tart, edgy and warming. It is a drink made precisely for the wet late autumn or cold winter days.

Here's how the Boulevardier and Negroni differ

The differences between the two cocktails are really only very small. The main difference is the base spirit used. The Boulevardier uses whiskey instead of gin (like the Negroni). Also, not all ingredients are used in the same proportion in this drink. In order for the whiskey to stand up to the tart bitter aperitif, the amount of whiskey is slightly increased. This makes the drink even more alcoholic than its Italian relative. Try both drinks and decide for yourself which cocktail you really liked better.

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