Ask any Toronto bartender for their classic tipple of preference and there’s a good chance you’ll receive an answer that involves bitters and either whiskey or gin; Manhattans and Negronis, to be specific.
If those two iconic cocktails spawned a love child, that nipper would be a beautiful thing, and chances are it would be very similar to a little-known drink called the Boulevardier.
The Boulevardier actually predates the Negroni, a fact that (somewhat) justifies my neurotic aversion to this cocktail being labeled a “bourbon Negroni.” Yes, it contains Campari and sweet vermouth like the gin-bottomed Negroni, but its sturdy bourbon base makes it a beast worthy of its own name.
Ted Haigh, a.k.a. Dr. Cocktail, notes that it first appeared in the epilogue of Harry McElhone’s Barflies and Cocktails back in 1927. It was the signature drink of Erskine Gwynne, a writer and resident barfly at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, who edited The Paris Boulevardier between cocktails.
To me, its almost unbelievable that more people don’t know about — and adore — this drink. Burlier than a Negroni and more playful than a Manhattan, the Boulevardier is bold, complex and surprisingly smooth. I’ve never made it for anyone whose eyes didn’t light up at the first sip.
The original recipe called for equal parts bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth, but I like to up the bourbon content to 1.5 parts — or two parts, when I’m feeling daring. Stir over ice and serve with a thick twist of orange (or classic lemon) and, my friend, you’ve got yourself a new addiction.
The Boulevardier isn’t a regular on cocktail lists, but a good bartender will know how to mix one with love. Seek it out in places that take their drinks seriously: I recommend Churchill, The Drake, Harbord Room and Lucid Cocktail and Kitchen.
Sarah Parniak is a freelance writer, booze nerd and lover of all things delicious. She teaches at the Toronto Institute of Bartending by day and occasionally moonlights as a barfly. You can find her behind the stick at Kensington Market’s Cold Tea on weekends, where she cracks a mean tallboy and likes to experiment.
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