Boulevardier
A Negroni built on bourbon instead of gin. Warmer, rounder, and the better choice when it is cold out.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Add the bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 25-30 seconds.
Strain over one large cube in a rocks glass, or up into a chilled coupe.
Express an orange peel over the surface and drop it in.
A thoughtful finish
- Use a higher-proof bourbon. At 80 proof the whiskey gets buried under Campari; at 100 it holds its own.
- The original is equal parts. Try it that way once — it is sweeter and more bitter-forward, and some people prefer it to the modern whiskey-heavy build.
- Stir, never shake. This is a spirit-forward drink and shaking clouds it and over-dilutes it.
Common mistakes
- Treating it as interchangeable with a Negroni. Bourbon's sweetness changes the balance, which is why the whiskey pour is usually larger than the gin would be.
- Using tired vermouth. With only three ingredients an oxidised bottle is immediately obvious — refrigerate it after opening and finish it within a month.
- Over-diluting with small ice. One large cube, or serve it up.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between a Boulevardier and a Negroni?
The base spirit. A Negroni uses gin; a Boulevardier uses bourbon or rye. The whiskey makes it rounder, warmer and a little sweeter, and most modern recipes pour more whiskey than a Negroni would gin.
Bourbon or rye?
Both work. Bourbon gives the classic rounder drink; rye makes it drier and spicier and arguably balances the Campari better. Try both.
Up or on the rocks?
Either is correct. Over one large cube is the more common modern service; up in a coupe makes it feel more formal and keeps it colder for longer.
What is the Old Pal?
A close relative: rye, Campari and dry vermouth instead of sweet. Much drier, and also from MacElhone's Paris.
Variations
- Negroni — Gin in place of whiskey.
- Old Pal — Rye and dry vermouth.
- Black Manhattan — Averna in place of Campari, no gin.
- Kingston Negroni — Jamaican rum in place of gin.
Where it comes from
1927 · Paris, France · Erskine Gwynne · Harry's New York Bar
The drink appears in Harry MacElhone’s Barflies and Cocktails in 1927, credited to Erskine Gwynne — an American writer in Paris, nephew of a Vanderbilt, who edited a monthly magazine called The Boulevardier. MacElhone printed it as the drink of ‘our own Barflie Erskine Gwynne’. The original specification is a third each of whiskey, Campari and sweet vermouth; the modern habit of pushing the whiskey to an ounce and a half gives a drier, more spirit-forward drink and is now more common than the equal-parts build.
Sources
- Harry MacElhone, Barflies and Cocktails, 1927 (book)
- Ted Haigh, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, 2004 (book)
- Gary Regan, The Negroni, 2015 (book)
Strength. About 1.62 US standard drinks at an estimated 27.1% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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