Recipes

Boulevardier Cocktail

Boulevardier

Boulevardier Cocktail

From the St. Kilian "classic whisky cocktails" series

Ingredients with Virgin Oak

Preparation of the Boulevardier Cocktail

Pour all the ingredients into a tumbler and stir with ice. Garnish the drink with an orange zest.

For our variation of the classic, we decided on a special whisky and also wanted to give it some space. Therefore, we reduced the Campari content and used a pleasantly sweet vermouth.

How did the Boulevardier Cocktail come about?

The Boulevardier is not a Negroni and it is not a Manhattan - it is the perfect alternative of the two!

Because there are those evenings that start with making the tough decision of the perfect companion in the glass. But who wants to do without the fruity notes of a Negroni or the gentle sweet heaviness of a Manhattan. Back in the 1920s, bartenders knew how to remedy this. With the Boulevardier. A wonderful temptation made of bourbon whisky, vermouth and Campari.

But if you think you're just looking at a Negroni variation with whiskey, you're wrong.

When the cocktail came to Europe

The American bartender Harry McElhone, inventor of the Boulevardier, was one of the first of his guild to leave America for Europe due to Prohibition. After London and Deauville, he finally came to Paris and opened the legendary Harrys New York Bar there.

This is also where the Boulevardier was born.
Although it was created many years before the now world-famous Negroni, the Boulevardier still has a niche existence even today. Of course, you can find it on many cocktail menus, but it is only ever ordered by real connoisseurs.

But why is that? It can hardly be due to its taste. Because its complexity and floral, fruity aromas beat the classic from Florence by a long way! Fortunately, it is currently playing its way back into the upper echelons of the bar and is being rediscovered all over the world in the most diverse variations.

Boulevardier Cocktail: Variation is its strength

The Boulevardier can be varied easily and without much fuss. For those who don't like it bitter and who are a bit overwhelmed by the complexity of the drink, reduce the Campari content. You can also play with different whiskies . The classic is mixed with bourbon, but also rye or single malt form their very own flavour constellations together with a sweet or dry vermouth.

The classic based on Harry Mc Elhone

For the classic Boulevardier you need:

  • 4 cl Bourbon Whisky (we recommend Maker's Mark)
  • 4 cl sweet vermouth (our recommendation: Carpano Antica Formula)
  • 4 cl Campari
  • Pour all the ingredients into a tumbler with ice and stir. Then add lemons or orange zest as a garnish.

"Rüdenau or Paris: the main thing is Boulevardier".

We didn't miss the chance to create our own variation of Harry McElhone's classic with our single malts. We wanted to create a taste experience that brings a full-bodied sweetness but also a gentle heaviness into the glass. In other words, to create the perfect companion for an evening out.

We have succeeded in this with our Boulevardier variation. Here you can find out more about our St. Kilian whiskies!

To top