Boulevardier - sort of ...

[sutton]

There was an earlier thread (closed down) on this cocktail that used bourbon. I substituted with rye and made a few other modifications:

3 cl WT 101 Rye

2 cl Campari

2 cl Cinzano sweet vermouth

1 dash Fee Brothers orange bitters

- fill cocktail shaker 1/3 full with ice

- add spirits and bitters

- stir for 30 seconds

- strain into chilled cocktail glass with marachino cherry & orange twist

Nice while grillin' on the back porch - next time I might drop the vermouth just a bit.

[liquidity]

Bartender Pete at Bottle Cap restaurant in San Francisco has a house-made barrel of these right now, but his recipe is 2:1:1 bourbon:campari:carpano antica. I like this mix because campari always seems way too overpowering to me, but I know others don't agree.

[sutton]

Bartender Pete at Bottle Cap restaurant in San Francisco has a house-made barrel of these right now, but his recipe is 2:1:1 bourbon:campari:carpano antica. I like this mix because campari always seems way too overpowering to me, but I know others don't agree.

Do you know what proof he used for the bourbon? I agree with you, the first time I made this with an 86 pf bourbon, the campari and vermouth seemed to overwhelm it - that was why I tried a 101 pf rye ... maybe I'll try your proportions with a higher proof bourbon.

The other reason I added the bitters was that the vermouth seemed to make it a bit sweet to my taste. I've never had carpano antica - is this red vermouth less sweet than the higher volume brands?

[liquidity]

Sorry for the late reply. Yes, he's using Wild Turkey 80 proof. I know in my heart it would be better with WT101 or 101 rye but I think WT gave him the bottles for free to advertise it.

[mrviognier]

IMHO, forget the Campari and substitute with Gran Classico from Tempus Fugit. The results are so much better it's worth the search.

[sutton]

IMHO, forget the Campari and substitute with Gran Classico from Tempus Fugit. The results are so much better it's worth the search.

[Trey Manthey]

I made my first Boulevardier last night, and I'm hooked:

1.5 oz Four Roses Single Barrel

1 oz Campari

1 oz Carpano Antica

Stirred long and well. Good dilution seems to be as important as a well chilled glass. I went with a long lemon twist for garnish.

This might be my new go-to summer cocktail. I need a break from Sazeracs.

[sutton]

I made my first Boulevardier last night, and I'm hooked:

1.5 oz Four Roses Single Barrel

1 oz Campari

1 oz Carpano Antica

Stirred long and well. Good dilution seems to be as important as a well chilled glass. I went with a long lemon twist for garnish.

This might be my new go-to summer cocktail. I need a break from Sazeracs.

[Trey Manthey]

What was the proof on the single barrel, if you don't mind me asking? I'm finding that 101+ seems to really make this cocktail ... along with either a dash of orange bitters or as you have done, with the lemon twist. I've also had this over a couple of ice cubes and it seemed to hold up well.

The FR1B is 100 proof.

I think you're right, though. I mixed and tasted about 6 of these over the weekend. I varied the bourbon on three of them: EC12 (94), Knob Creek Single Barrel (120), and Bulleit (90). I didn't do side-by-side tastings, but the Four Roses and Knob Creek did a better job of cutting the bitterness. I would still give the nod to the FR1B as my favorite.