Imbibing: Why The Boulevardier is The Perfect Beginner Cocktail

Before the pandemic, it could be said that I had never made a cocktail. I had enjoyed many, and I made some decent mixed drinks--I still make a good rye-and-ging(er). But a "proper" card-carrying cocktail was not in my repertoire.

Then, in 2020, I moved from Victoria, BC (leaving behind many a good friend with whom I enjoyed an equally good drink), to take up my current position in London, ON, smack dab in the middle– okay, the initial 1/4–of the pandemic. Eventually, my BC friends and I were in search of a way for us to stay in touch, and our virtual "Cocktail Club" was born.

Each "meeting", one of us "hosts". The Host chooses a "theme" (e.g., around a certain kind of spirit, preparation method, etc.,), and finds/selects 4-7 cocktails recipes around that theme. They compile a shopping list, and a suggested tasting order, and sends this all out a few days before we congregate on zoom, sipping our drinks together, and catching up.

17 (and counting) Cocktail Clubs later, I can now say I've made many a cocktail, and through my Cocktail Club experience, I've come to find myself with a particular appreciation for certain kinds of drinks, especially when I'm drinking at home (I have a very different set of priorities when I'm getting a cocktail out somewhere).

Namely, I like cocktails that are (A) easy to remember (B) easy to make, and (C) easy to adapt. With that in mind, friends, allow me to recommend that you consider the Boulevardier as a great drink to make when you're first learning to make good cocktails at home.

Why the Boulevardier?

The Boulevardier (bu̇-lə-ˌvär-ˈdyā) is a win on all three of these features. Dead simple to remember, doesn't require much to put it together, and easy to adapt to your tastes (including entirely different spirits).

Initially, I hated it.

My friend Nathan and I were sitting around, in Victoria, and he asked if I wanted a drink. He said he was having a *******, and asked if I wanted something like that, but made with bourbon. I said sure. A few minutes later, we clinked glasses, and I took a sip.

It was... a lot.

This may sound discouraging, but bear with me: there are kinds of drinks that you just need a few sips on your palette before they start tasting great. The Boulevardier is one of these (at least, IMO, when you're first getting into them). Because there I was three days later, craving a drink, and I said to Nate, "Hey, could you make me whatever whiskey drink it is that you slapped together the other night?"

It's been a go-to ever since.

If you like spirit-forward/boozy cocktails (vs. sweet), and are looking for something a bit more off the beaten path than an Old Fashioned, consider the Boulevardier.

Boulevardiers Are Easy To Remember

First thing's first, the three essential ingredients:

• Whiskey (most use bourbon, but some call for rye--choose what you like)
• Campari (a red bitter liqueur that is a staple on most bars), and
• Sweet/red/rosso vermouth (not the clear/white/dry stuff; it's another bar staple, common in many drinks)

Then, the proportions. You will find many recipes call for a (boozier) adjusted take on this, but to keep things simple, start with the the ratio of these ingredients at 1:1:1. And so, as long as you can remember the three ingredients, you'll always remember how to make a serviceable Boulevardier--just scale the amount for the size of drink you want.

Boulevardiers Are Easy to Make

Boulevardiers are easy to make, owing to their being stirred (not shaken) with ice and then strained, and requiring very little in the way of fancy/time-consuming accoutrement.

Stirring and shaking drinks with ice are both ways of mixing drinks and adding dilution (as the ice melts). Typically, you stir spirit-forward drinks like Boulevardiers and Old Fashioneds; the end result is almost a silky and heavy feel to the sip. Meanwhile you typically shake drinks involving juices; the end result is a more aerated and lighter (and perhaps brighter) feeling sip.

Shaking requires both equipment and (if using a two-piece shaker) some coordination/skill. Stirring requires a glass and a spoon. And so drinks like the Boulevardier can be made virtually anywhere you find yourself having a bevy.

And then, some drinks require fancier or more elaborate garnishes (e.g., tiki cocktails) or additional ingredients that require more prep and/or delicate handling (e.g., egg whites in a sour).

Boulevardiers are pretty straightforward: a twist of citrus (I've seen lemon and orange; I prefer orange) and you're off to the races. Don't have any fresh citrus on. hand? You'll survive.

Boulevardiers Are Easy to Adapt

After starting with the 1:1:1 ratio, it's so easy to (re)calibrate the Boulevardier to perfectly match your palette. Many great cocktail resources (like Diffords Guide) recommend a higher proportion of Whiskey to Campari and Sweet Vermouth. If that piques your interest, try 1.5:0.75:0.75.

Like your drinks more bitter? Add a touch more Campari: 1:1.25:1

Like your drinks sweeter? Use a heavier hand on the Vermouth: 1:1:1.25

Somewhere in that range is probably a ratio you will enjoy (and if there is not, you may not like the ingredients involved and/or spirit-forward drinks!)

What's better: you can swap out the base spirit of Whiskey with others if you want to try different drinks, get experimental, and/or have friends who are Whiskey averse.

Indeed, the unnamed drink my friend Nate originally made for himself is the Negroni (I hate gin, with very few exceptions, and so I will avoid blemishing my blog by naming it when I can avoid it). Same proportions and other supporting characters, just change the base liquor.

More recently, I've swapped in Mezcal for Whiskey, when I want a Boulevardier with a bit more personality (Mezcal is a pretty smokey, distinct flavour), leaving the other liqueurs (and their ratios) largely untouched. It's excellent.

Welcome to the Boulevardier of Cocktail Dreams

Three people will find that joke funny, some others will groan at how bad it is, and many won't understand or appreciate it.

But I'll hazard a guess that most readers will appreciate how easy the Boulevardier is. Standard ingredients on most bars (you'll find many more purposes for Whiskey, Campari, and Vermouth), simple and flexible ratios, requiring no special equipment or accoutrements, and easy to adapt to whatever spirit is moving you at the time.

Just mix 1:1:1 (or close to that), stir in a glass with ice, strain into a glass (either neat or over a large cube is nice), and enjoy.

Stir one up, and give it a sip (okay, give it three sips), and I bet you'll have found a new staple in your own cocktail catalogue.