Boulevardier — Boulevardier is a Manhattan's sophisticated European

The Boulevardier is a Manhattan’s sophisticated European cousin — same bones, different soul. Where the Manhattan stays crisp and clean, the Boulevardier goes bitter and complex.

Ingredients

• ½ oz bourbon
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 oz Campari for that distinctive bitter backbone
• Garnish: an orange peel

Method

The ratios matter more here than almost any other cocktail. Some recipes call for equal parts, but that makes the Campari too aggressive. The slight bourbon advantage lets the whiskey lead while the Campari and vermouth create this beautiful bitter-sweet harmony. Grab your mixing glass and add the bourbon first. Follow with the sweet vermouth — use something good like Carpano Antica or Cocchi di Torino. Then add the Campari. Fill the glass with ice and stir for thirty seconds until it’s ice cold. The stirring is crucial — you want proper dilution to mellow that Campari bite and marry all three ingredients. Strain into your coupe using a Hawthorne strainer. The drink should be crystal clear and deeply red, like liquid garnets.

Serve

Serve this up in a coupe — no ice. Express an orange peel over the surface and drop it in. The citrus oils brighten the whole drink.

Pro Tip

The key to a great Boulevardier is vermouth temperature. Sweet vermouth goes bad fast once opened — it’s wine, not liquor. Keep it refrigerated and use it within six weeks. Room temperature vermouth will make your Boulevardier taste flat and cloying. Also, if you want to experiment, try rye whiskey instead of bourbon. The spice plays beautifully against Campari’s herbal bitterness, creating an even more complex sipper.