The Boulevardier

bou•lee•var•dee•ay

Welcome.

If you're reading this that means you at one point bought me a drink.

Thank you!

In return, I want to share this cocktail recipe that is near and dear to my heart (and of course my taste).

I grew up in Kentucky, the birthplace of bourbon.

I also knew from pretty early on I didn't want to live there forever.

I was off to some well-to-do-and-cultured (snobby) place.

So I moved to NYC.

This cocktail I think best represents my tastes and offers some insight into where I'm from.

Plus it's damn good.

So without further ado, lets make this thing.

What you'll need:

Essentially this'll be a Negroni, but with whiskey instead of gin.

I love both, but this is just the go to and has alternations to make depending on the season.

• 1.5 ounce Rye or bourbon whiskey

• 1 ounce Sweet vermouth

• 1 ounce Campari

Let's make this deceptively simple list of ingredients.

Mix: Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice.

Stir, don't shake, for 30 seconds

Strain & Pour: Take Old Fashioned glass with large cube ice, strain into glass.

Garnish: Peel from orange, avoiding too much pith. Twist peel releasing the oils, rub around rim of glass, stick peel in drink.

And there it is, you're done. Now sit back and enjoy.

Making it your own:

If you like this thing like I do, you'll want to play around a bit and make it your own. Here are some things that I change myself and you can play around with to really add your own character to the drink:

Rye vs Bourbon

I change this depending on the season. The bourbon will give it a sweeter finish, perfect for summer and warmer locals. While the rye will impart a spicy bite in your drink I find warming for winter.

Up vs Rocks

If you really want to class this up you can order or serve up instead of on the rocks. It'll come out looking more like a Manhattan cocktail and receive less dilution over time.