Boulevardier
One of my favorite cocktails is a Boulevardier. A blend of whiskey, Campari, and sweet vermouth, this classic cocktail is often referred to as the negroni's distance cousin, with both cocktails utilizing two-thirds of the same ingredients. There's something warming and welcoming about the blend of rich bourbon, herbaceous vermouth, and the pleasant bitterness found in the Campari.
When I make my boulevardier, I like to utilize a 2:1:1 ratio. This uses two parts of bourbon, whiskey, or rye, whatever I'm in the mood for, one part of sweet vermouth, and one part of Campari. This ratio has fluctuated throughout the years and even so from bartender to bartender. Some enjoy equal parts of all three while others do 1.5:1:1( bourbon, Campari, vermouth). You can change the ratio to fit your personal preference; the more parts of bourbon, the stronger the drink will be, not only in alcohol content but also in flavor.
I find that it's essential to utilize a good quality bourbon or rye when making your boulevardier. Unlike some cocktails where other more robust flavors come from mixers, high-end bourbons' beauty and flavors in a boulevardier bourbon are the most dominant flavor. For a rye-based boulevardier, I like to use Bulleit rye. I find Bulleit rye to be great rye that is high quality but doesn't break the bank. First introduced in 2011, Bulleit rye is a blend of 95% rye and 5% malted barley creating a russet color spirit. A mix of vanilla, honey, and spice notes make a smooth product with a crisp and clean finish. And is about 90 proof(45% ABV).
When I was working in Newport, I had a version of the boulevardier on the cocktail list. This one utilized sweet vermouth that I created. This sweet vermouth took me a little bit of time to figure out how to perfect it. The hardest part of creating this sweet vermouth was making it have the flavor profile that I wanted? To make this vermouth, I started with a dry white wine, usually pilot grigio. I took a little bit of the white wine and added some wormwood, gentian root, angelica root, chamomile, Vanilla bean, lemon zest, orange zest, rosemary, basil, and sage. I placed all of this in a saucepot and brought it to a boil. I allowed the herbaceous wine mixture to come to a boil for a minute and then removed it from the heat. I added the other ¾ of white wine and some tawny port. I placed all of this into the fridge and allowed it to steep and infuse for about three hours. This allows all the herbs to infuse into the wine, while the roots create that bitterness that vermouth has. The port is helping fortify the wine-producing that vermouth-style spirit.
Now here is where the tricky part comes in, the sugar. With the orange blanc vermouth I was making, I add the sugar right into the vermouth. With the sweet vermouth, I needed to caramelize the sugar. This part was a little tricky. When sugar caramelizes, the sugar can become bitter and leave an unpleasant flavor in the vermouth. This took me a few tries to get the caramel to the right level of doneness, I wanted the sugar a little darker than you would use for a caramel sauce, but I didn't want it to go too far that it was burnt, which can happen in a matter of seconds. I started with sugar and enough water to make the sugar look like wet sand. I prefer making my caramel this way instead of a dry caramel because I find that the sugar caramelizes more evenly and is less likely to burn in spots. I allow the sugar to get to a deep dark, amber color. This is the color that I'm looking for. After testing a few times, I found that the sugar has the right amount of bitterness and sweetness. When the sugar gets to this color, I then add the brandy to the caramel. Now be very careful with this part, as when the brandy is added, the caramel will start to seize. Gently but quickly whisk the caramel with the brandy allowing it to blend thoroughly. Once this step is finished, I strain all the aromatics out of the wine and port mixture and add the strained liquid to the caramel brandy mixture. Now the vermouth is finished and ready to be used in cocktails.
When I used this vermouth for the boulevardier, I added a little cane sugar simple syrup to the cocktail, simple syrup made from turbinado sugar. The cane sugar simple syrup is needed to help match the sweetness that many commercial vermouths have compared to the sweet vermouth that I created. The turbinado sugar is unrefined, so it has a golden color and leads to a darker, more caramel-like simple syrup.
The process to create a boulevardier is simplistic but memorizing to complete. To begin, I fill my mixing glass with ice. I then add two ounces of rye or bourbon, an ounce of Campari, an ounce of sweet vermouth. I love Dolins or Antica Carpano. If I'm using my house-made vermouth, I reduce the vermouth down to ½ an ounce and add ½ an ounce of the cane sugar simple syrup. I gently stir the cocktail with everything in the mixing glass using a bar spoon, allowing for the bright red Campari, dark amber vermouth, and amber bourbon to mix. Stirring the cocktail for about 30 seconds allows for the components to chill and dilute enough to be palatable.
I strain the finished cocktail into a chilled coupe glass or a rocks glass. I prefer the coupe glass because I love the regal design the glass provides. Once the red cocktail is strained into the coupe glass, I like to garnish with some orange form; a dehydrated orange wheel looks so nice floating like a lily pad in a boozy red lake does not enhance the cocktail that much. An orange twist adds a lovely freshness and brightness to the darker flavored cocktail but is a little simple. My favorite garnish would be a flamed orange peel. Flaming an orange peel is what it sounds like; with a match lit in front of the cocktail, you expel the oils from the orange peel over the cocktail. A few sparks will ignite and create a toasted orange scent over the cocktail. The flavor is so different from a standard orange twist.
The finished cocktail has a balance of bitterness and spiciness. The rye adds a toasted spice note, with the Campari adding a pleasant bitterness. The sweet vermouth adds a richness of botanicals that are herbaceous and helps balance the drink. The bitterness is gentle enough to not obliterate your palate and makes your mouth begin to salivate increasing your appetite.
Cheers,
Ryan
Recipe
2 oz. rye or bourbon of your choice
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. Campari
Method:
In a mixing glass combine the rye, vermouth, and Campari.
Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir for about 20 seconds or until the mixing glass becomes cold and the cocktail is chilled.
Using a Hawthorne strainer strain the cocktail into a coupe glass or pour the cocktail into a rocks glass to enjoy on ice.
To garnish take a vegetable peeler and create a large orange peel and place it into the cocktail.