Wandering Rye Whisky · Recipe 41
The Boulevardier Reborn
A Negroni's American cousin comes back from the cold.
Ingredients
- 45 ml Wandering Rye Whisky
- 25 ml Aperol
- 25 ml sweet vermouth
- 1 dash orange bitters
Method
Stir. Serve in a Rocks glass (large). Garnish with Orange twist + cherry.
Sweet vermouth: Cocchi Storico or Dolin Rouge.
The story
The Boulevardier was created by Erskine Gwynne — an American expatriate and socialite in Paris in the 1920s — and appeared in Harry MacElhone's 1927 Barflies and Cocktails. Substitute whisky for gin in a Negroni and that's your Boulevardier. It has always been delicious and has spent decades in the Negroni's shadow. Wandering Rye's blended depth — rye spice from the 5-year, caramel warmth from the 18-year corn components — creates a Boulevardier with more dimension than a single-style whisky would provide. This spring variation lightens the classic with Aperol in place of Campari and uses a floral sweet vermouth. The result is a Boulevardier that's come home from a spring walk rather than a hard day at work.
Tasting note
Deep amber-orange — lighter and more inviting than a classic Boulevardier. The Aperol's citrus bitterness plays off Wandering Rye's rye spice, with the corn sweetness and vermouth's herbal notes providing a long, warming finish.