The Boulevardier recipe
for your table
Fill a tumbler with one large ice cube.
Pour bourbon, Campari, and vermouth into the glass.
Stir gently for 20 seconds until thoroughly chilled.
Garnish with a squeezed orange zest or a dark cocktail cherry.
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The story
The Boulevardier emerged from 1920s Paris, where American heir and publisher Erskine Gwynne ran The Boulevardier magazine for his fellow expatriates. At Harry's New York Bar, he had his signature drink mixed: bourbon instead of gin with Campari and vermouth. Bar legend Harry MacElhone immortalized the recipe in his 1927 book Barflies and Cocktails. Where the Negroni got summer, the Boulevardier got winter, and it was definitively rediscovered during the modern whisky revival.
The right glass
Like the Negroni, the Boulevardier is best enjoyed in a low, sturdy tumbler with a large ice cube. Choose a glass from 34 to 38 cl with some weight in the base. You drink this cocktail slowly, and a glass that feels good in your hand is part of the ritual. Crystal with a subtle relief beautifully captures the drink's deep amber-red colour. If you prefer to serve it up without ice in the glass, take a look at our Nick & Nora glasses.
RCR Brillante Tumbler 34 cl (6 pieces)
RCR Alkemist Tumbler 38 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 70,90.
The right tools
For a Boulevardier, besides the glass, you use a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring, a zester for the twist, large ice cubes and cocktail picks. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 122,70.
What do you use to make a Boulevardier?
For a Boulevardier, you need the right base. Well-known bottles include Fernet-Branca and Campari. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Using rye instead of bourbon makes it drier and spicier; with a smoky scotch, it becomes a Smoky Boulevardier. Serve it 'up' in a coupe for an elegant evening version. Flaming an orange zest over the glass makes the bitter notes rounder. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Many bartenders give the bourbon a little more room (4.5 cl compared with 3 cl of the other ingredients) so it doesn't get lost. Taste and adjust to your preference. Also delicious with rye for a spicier result.
Good to know
Boulevardier or Negroni: the difference
Swap the gin for bourbon and you have the basic transformation. Campari and sweet vermouth remain, but where gin brings juniper and citrus that make the Campari sharper, bourbon contributes vanilla, caramel and oak. That makes the Boulevardier rounder, warmer and clearly a winter drink, while the Negroni works year-round as an aperitif. There's another difference: the Negroni is classically made with equal parts, while the Boulevardier usually gets a little more base spirit. And bourbon is 45 percent compared with gin at around 40, so it's heavier too.
Equal parts or more bourbon
Harry McElhone's original 1927 recipe lists equal parts, so three times 3 cl. Modern bartenders give the whiskey more room, usually 4.5 cl bourbon to 3 cl Campari and 3 cl vermouth, and for good reason: Campari is so dominant that the bourbon gets lost in equal parts. If you're using a rye at 50 percent or higher, you can return to equal parts without the whiskey disappearing. If you want it sweeter, use 4.5 cl bourbon, 2 cl Campari and 3 cl vermouth. Always measure, because this recipe can quickly become unbalanced.
Which bourbon or rye do you choose
A bourbon with some weight works best, say 45 percent or higher. Bottles with a high corn content are sweeter and rounder and make the cocktail more approachable; think of the standard bottlings from Buffalo Trace or Four Roses. Rye whiskey pushes in the other direction, pepperier and drier, making the Campari stand out more sharply. That produces the version many bars serve these days. What you don't need is an expensive single barrel, because the Campari overwhelms that nuance anyway. A bottle costing around thirty euros does the job perfectly well here.
Serve up instead of over ice
Over one large ice cube, the cocktail slowly dilutes, and that is part of the experience. If you want it more concentrated, stir it for twenty seconds in a mixing glass with ice and strain it into a chilled coupe or Nick and Nora. Without ice in the glass, the flavor remains the same from the first sip to the last, but you need to drink it within fifteen minutes because it warms up faster. Squeeze the orange zest over the glass and rub it around the rim. This way of serving works well for a short round before dinner.
Frequently asked questions
What is a boulevardier?
A Boulevardier is a stirred whiskey cocktail made with 4.5 cl bourbon, 3 cl Campari, and 3 cl sweet red vermouth, served over one large ice cube with orange zest. Think of it as a Negroni in which the gin is replaced with bourbon: rounder and warmer, with vanilla and caramel notes underneath.
What is the recipe for a Boulevardier cocktail?
Fill a tumbler with one large ice cube, pour in 4.5 cl bourbon, 3 cl Campari, and 3 cl sweet red vermouth, and stir gently for twenty seconds until everything is well chilled. Garnish with a squeezed orange zest or a dark cocktail cherry. Do not shake, only stir.
What is the difference between a Boulevardier and a Negroni?
The base spirit. A Negroni uses gin, a Boulevardier bourbon, while Campari and sweet red vermouth remain in both. Many bartenders also give the bourbon a little more room, 4.5 cl compared with 3 cl of the other ingredients, so it does not get overwhelmed by the Campari.
Which glass do you use for a Boulevardier?
A low tumbler holding 34 to 38 cl, with weight in the base, works best. You drink this cocktail slowly over one large ice cube, and a glass that feels comfortable in your hand is part of the ritual. See our old fashioned glasses.
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