The Boulevardier
The word ‘boulevardier’ means a man about town, perhaps fashionable and social. During the 1920s, one would find, on the magazine stands of Paris, one named Boulevardier, aimed at the expats living in the city. It was published by Erskine Gwynne, who later created a cocktail of the same name. It was in 1927, after being included in Harry MacElhone’s book Barflies and Cocktails, that the drink became popular and really took off. The book confirms that the drink was invented by Gwynne, who was a regular at the author’s bar.
In the book, a piece titled Cocktails Round Town, by New York Herald, Paris’ Around the Town columnist Arthur Moss, mentions this:
“Now is the time for all good Barflies to come to the aid of the party, since Erskine Gwynne crashed in with his Boulevardier Cocktail: ⅓ Campari, ⅓ Italian vermouth, ⅓ Bourbon whisky.
The Boulevardier did not spread far and wide. Between 1927 and 2007, there are almost no cocktail books that mention or even reference the cocktail in passing. Major cocktail collections regularly omitted the drink. It was in a 2007 article, in the March/April issue of Imbibe where, writing as Dr Cocktail, Ted Haigh rediscovered the cocktail. He later published a recipe in Haigh (2009) with more articles. Inspired by Haigh, Paul Clarke went on to publish the cocktail’s recipe in Serious Eats and Clarke (2015). While it was still picking up in the 2010, by the mid-2010s, the cocktail had become popular.
Essentially a variation of the classic Negroni, the Boulevardier uses whiskey instead of gin. It also has more spirit compared to the other ingredients, unlike the other cocktail which calls for all ingredients in equal parts. Another similar cocktail is the Old Pal, a contemporary of the Boulevardier. It is mentioned in the same essay in MacElhone’s book, the only difference between the two cocktails being that the Old Pal uses rye whiskey instead of bourbon. The vermouth and campari remain the same, even in measurement. Nowadays, the Old Pal uses a more dry French vermouth instead of the sweeter Italian vermouth. And in the Boulevardier, besides the use of whiskey, the proportions are also slightly different. While the Old Pal is 1:1:1, the Boulevardier is 11/2:1:1.
The Boulevardier combines whisky, vermouth and Campari, a delicate balance of bitter, sweet and boozy. Each sip, because of the whiskey in particular, is rich, deep and warming. Some people prefer using rye whiskey but the most popular option for the base spirit is a bourbon. It's the perfect drink for cold nights and winter evenings, a heartening drink that’ll take you back to 1920s Paris.
Ingredients
Method
- Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice cubes.
- Stir well.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with orange zest, optionally a lemon zest.
