#whiskyPhTip. Cocktails: the Boulevardier

This week I'm trying out a classic cocktail that goes well with American Whiskey (AW), the Boulevardier.

The #Boulevardier (pronounced "boulevard-yay") traces its origins to the American Prohibition, known as the signature drink of Erskine Gwynne, an american writer who left America for Paris and became the editor of a publication called the Boulevardier. During prohibition, Gwynne was a regular Harry's New York Bar in Paris where bartender Harry MacElhone (Harry) prepared this drink for him.

The first printed recipe for the Boulevardier was published in Harry's book Barflies and Cocktails in 1927, featuring 1 part bourbon whiskey, 1 part sweet vermouth and 1 part Campari, making it the AW equivalent of the Gin based #Negroni.

Together with renewed interest in the Negroni, this cocktail started gaining interest over the past decade and was even declared as the Economist's #cocktail of the year for 2018.

Over the past 10 years, its recipe has varied a little by increasing the whiskey component and favoring #RyeWhiskey over Bourbon. In the PUNCH search for the Ultimate Boulevardier Cocktail, they found that out of the 11 top bartenders surveyed, 7 (including the winner) gave Rye based recipes for this cocktail.

After tinkering with the recipe a little using ingredients from my #homebar here's how I like to make my Boulevardier cocktail:

45ml #RittenhouseRye Whiskey
30ml Campari
30ml Cinzano Rosso Sweet Vermouth

1. Add the 3 ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir about 30-45 seconds until well chilled.
2. Strain into a rocks glass with a fresh block/ball of ice.
3. Garnish with an orange twist.

It's a tasty drink that has a bit of depth and dark grainy character from the rye #whiskey, some sweet, tart character adding complexity from the sweet vermouth, and just the right amount of bitterness from the chilled Campari. What I find most interesting about this is the interaction between the sweet vermouth and the orange twist that's reminiscent of an orange candy.

Great cocktail for relaxing in cold afternoons. Pairing it tonight with Grabiel Ba and Fabio Moon's masterpiece, #Daytripper. Cheers!🥃

Image Courtesy of @WhiskyPH

@WhiskyPH

At its core, whisky appreciation is an exercise in memory. Notes of a whisky enthusiast in the Philippines. 🥃🇵🇭