Boulevardier
Boulevardier garnished with a orange peel.
The Boulevardier: Paris Made a Whiskey Negroni First
The Boulevardier showed up in Paris during the 1920s, created by American writer Erskine Gwynne who founded a literary magazine called Boulevardier. The drink first appeared in print in Harry MacElhone's 1927 book "Barflies and Cocktails," where it was described in the "Cocktails About Town" section by Arthur Moss.
Gwynne was a regular at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, owned by MacElhone, and the cocktail he created was basically a Negroni with bourbon instead of gin. The original recipe called for equal parts of each ingredient: bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth.
The drink disappeared for about 80 years until bartender Ted Haigh brought it back in 2007. He wrote about it in Imbibe magazine and adjusted the ratio to give bourbon more presence - typically three parts bourbon to two parts Campari and two parts vermouth. That's the version most bars use today, and it became an official IBA cocktail in 2020.
The recipe is straightforward. Combine your bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for about 30 seconds until cold, then strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
Bourbon brings warmth and sweetness, Campari adds that signature bitter edge, and sweet vermouth ties it together with herbal notes. Some people prefer rye for a spicier version, but bourbon is the traditional choice.
The equal-parts version makes it easy to remember and scale, though many prefer giving bourbon the lead role. The drink works year-round but feels especially right in colder weather when that rich, warming profile hits different.
The Boulevardier proves that sometimes the best new drinks are just smart tweaks to classics. Swap one ingredient and you've got something completely different that stands on its own.
RECIPE:
1.5 oz bourbon
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth
Orange peel (garnish)
Method:
Stir bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth with ice.
Strain into a rocks or chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with an orange peel.