March 25, 2012

Boulevardier

I count the Negroni as one of my all times favorite cocktails - especially as a pre-dinner or pre-Sunday lunch libation.

I also subscribe to if it ain't broke don't fix it.

But then I stumbled across the Boulevardier - a spin on Negroni by Harry MacElhone of Harry's Bar in Paris-fame - and reconsidered. (Update: Or maybe a cocktail in it's own right see comments for debate)

Not least because Negroni Sbagliato is a wonderful summer interpretation of the original.

The verdict: Boulevardier is a wonderful first-Sunday-in-Spring-pre-lunch cocktail.

  • 4 cl bourbon
  • 2 cl Campari
  • 2 cl sweet vermouth - I used Dolin Rouge

Stir the three ingredients with ice and strain into particularly pretty cocktail glass as it sparkles like a jewel. Garnish with lemon.

And just a word of warning: This is a powerful apertif, so you better have the next meal on the horizon before mixing a Boulevardier.

2 comments:

  1. The Boulevardier isn't believed to be a spin on the Negroni but more an independent creation. Lore says that the Negroni was created in 1919 but it is unclear when the Boulevardier was actually created. If you go by publishing dates, the Boulevardier wins by a decade or two.

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  2. Welcome Frederic,

    Yes I've read about the clouded origins of the Negroni - but this post by Camper English makes me lean towards believe it was created in or around 1919.

    Written evidence in English language cocktail books when dealing with an Italian drink, does not seem like the ultimate evidence to me.

    But thanks for you comment, and I've updated the post to reflect the dispute.

    /Andrea

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