What I’m Drinking: Boulevardier

I’m a food or drink connoisseur. But I’m not someone with a refined palette who can tell the difference between something having notes of coffee versus notes of leather. Instead I prefer to focus on whether or not something is good. My approach was best stated by the philosopher Montgomery Burns: “I know what I hate, and I don’t hate this”.

Here we answer a fundamental question of life: “should you drink this?”

What I’m drinking: A negroni, but with whiskey. prosecco.

Years ago someone got me a bottle of Campari. Not knowing what to do with it, I looked online and discovered the wonder that is the negroni. Then I decided to try switching out the gin for bourbon, and ended up with a new favorite drink of my own creation.

After a few years of that, one of my companies vendors gave me free tickets to a very fancy TV network sponsored food and drink festival. While there, we went to a class about pairing wine with sushi (I like free sushi). For some reason one of the “wines” was actually a cocktail and the celebrity chef hosting it informed me that my go to drink actually had a name: Boulevardier.

The color: Brownish Red

The flavor:  Complex. A combination of the herbalness of the Campari and the richness of the bourbon. a bit of subtlety

Variations: Try different main boozes. If you use Rye instead of Bourbon and dry vermouth instead of sweet it’s called and Old Pal. One interesting idea is prosecco instead of whiskey. Actually, I’m going to go make that. REPORT: Try this. This is now what this article is about.

Drink this if you like: Herbal liquors, negroni but wish it could be toned back just a bit

Pair with: Relaxation

Good for beginners? Yes. This is a great introduction to negronis and campari in general.

Did my wife like this: Eh, which is a huge step up from her normal reaction to campari

Fun facts to make you sound smart or interesting when you’re drinking it:  I did not invent this, it’s called a negroni sbagliato. Negronis date to the 1920’s, and supposedly were invented by an Itallian nobleman trying to make his usual drink stronger. “Prosecco” used to be the name of the grape variety used in making the wine, but in 2009 it was renamed to “Glera” and “prosecco” was legally tied to a region in Italy. My computer is sure the ingredient in question is a “prosecutor”.

How to make this: Equal parts bourbon prosecco, Campari, and Sweet Vermouth. Shake or stir with ice. Rocks or highball glass with a bit of ice. Martini glass. Add a cherry or orange twist if feeling fancy.

Ideal location for drinking: Early evening in while it’s still sunny and warm. Maybe late afternoon. Possibly with your feet resting on a warm dog.

Should you drink this: Yes.

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10 Comments

  1. Hooray! Missed these posts! I have all those fixings, plus the fancy garnish. My work is giving us all off for four days, so this appears to be the perfect way to kick off a long weekend. Thursday at 5PM, negroni here I come. Thank you, and your wife, for drinking for the benefit of others.

  2. I just bought some Campari. And I love prosecco drinks.

  3. Hell yes! I’ve been enjoying cask-mixed boulevardiers delivered by a local restaurant — arguably the only enjoyable aspect to social distancing has been booze delivery — and so I raise my glass to you.

    Also, Campari and soda is a must-have summer drink. Sip on!

  4. Campari may be partly to blame for my Hop obsession, it is bitter & fruity. I had a German girlfriend that was obsessed w/ Campari & OJ in the morning, got me hooked, I guess it is a thing in Germany? A few years back a brewery infused it in an IPA & then it became a rage in cocktails

    https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/campari-beer-cocktail

  5. its quarter past seven am here….im having a beer….lol
    in my defense i fell out of bed and am now just waiting for the shop to open so i can raid the bargain bin and then go back to bed till bout noonish

  6. Try the White Negroni
    1.5 oz Gin
    1.5 oz Lillet
    0.5 oz Suze
    twist of lemon
    Except I couldn’t find Suze and subbed Agavero and now no Gin so I’m going to try Silver Mezcal and lime instead of lemon.

    Anyone have recipes using Creme Yvette or Benedictine?

    • I reply to myself that the mexican white negroni is a damn fine drink even if i was a bit heavy-handed with the agavero. now i am watching Hamish mac something on acorn and i have no clue what is going on. pretty accents tho!

  7. Is it too early to start drinking? Asking for a friend…

      • I try to adhere to a no alcohol during the work week rule which strikes me as pointless during a time when I’m not leaving the house anyway, but I’m such a lightweight that I do wait until quitting time before drinking. Good news is with the short commute to my ‘office’ now quittin’ time is 4-ish.

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