Boulevardier

Negroni riffs are everywhere today, but the drink’s first mutation, a mixture of bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Campari, known as the Boulevardier, is almost a century old. The creation of the drink is attributed to Erskine Gwynne, an American expatriate who lived in Paris during the 1920s. During his time in France, Gwynne published a literary magazine for fellow expats called Boulevardier, a word that roughly translates to “man-about-town.”

The recipe for the Boulevardier first appeared in print in Harry McElhone’s collection of cocktail recipes, Barflies and Cocktails, published in 1927. The book showcased a selection of recipes taken from a host of regular customers at Harry’s New York Bar, where McElhone was the proprietor. Gwynne’s clever swap of bourbon for gin became a hit and opened the bartending world up to countless evolutions of the classic Negroni, most notably the Kingston Negroni, the White Negroni, and the Negroni Sbagliato.

Why the Boulevardier works

The Boulevardier works for many of the same reasons the classic Negroni does. The base spirit, in this case whiskey instead of gin, is sweetened and balanced by the red aperitivo liqueur Campari and sweet vermouth.

With a base of bourbon, the Boulevardier has a distinctly different character from the Negroni. Gin’s crisp botanical flavor is replaced by the rounder, sweeter profile of the whiskey, giving the drink a warmer, softer quality.

Aside from its bright red color, Campari adds a bright, citric, bittersweet quality to the drink, while the sweet vermouth adds a rich, heavy sweetness. Both are infused with a variety of botanical ingredients that give the Boulevardier its complex and balanced flavor profile.

While the original recipe was made using equal parts of each ingredient, the modern Boulevardier is often mixed with a slightly higher proportion of whiskey. This ensures the bourbon’s notes of caramel, vanilla, and baking spice stand up to the strong flavors and aromas of Campari and vermouth.