Category: Classic Cocktails

The Toronto is one of the few classics that calls for Fernet.  While Fernet Branca is the most well known of these, there are numerous other Fernet on the market.  The dark, pungent liqueurs are known for the strong flavor profiles and high levels of complexity.  To partner with them, Rye and Angostura Bitters lend their powerful structures, and just a little sweetness comes in from the sugar.  This makes for a deep, brooding cocktail packed with complexity that’s perfect for the change in temperature.  Lovers of Old Fashioned and Sazeracs should find a lot to love here.

Toronto

Toronto

2 oz

Rye Whiskey

¼ oz

Fernet Branca

¼ oz

Simple Syrup

1 Dash

Angostura Bitters

Garnish

Orange Twist

Combine all ingredients in mixing vessel except garnish. Add ice and stir. Strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Express an orange twist over the drink and garnish with an orange twist.

In the Toronto, the spicy nature of the rye lays down the skeleton, the fernet and angostura provide the muscle, and the simple beautifies the whole package.  The rye here gives off great spice and herbal notes with an Old Fashioned feel, but never feels aggressive or overpowering.    The Fernet seems like it would be overpowering if you’ve had Fernet on its own, but here it accentuates the earthy and herbal notes in the rye.  Where it comes together is in the ending, bringing the full menthol and caramelized sugar notes to the forefront with just the tiniest hint of bitterness.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Toronto is built in the mould of an Old Fashioned and that shows in the construction.  Rather than serving over ice, the Toronto eschews dilution in favor of a coupe or Nick & Nora glass.

• Rye –  We used Eljiah Craig Rye here, which worked well at accentuating the herbal notes, but minimized the spice slightly.   While it works, we still recommend Rittenhouse Rye.
• Fernet Branca – While there are other Fernet, the original is made with Fernet Branca.  This uniquely licorice and menthol noted liqueur is less bitter than Campari, but has a significantly more aggressive flavor profile.  Swapping with another Fernet will alter this, and you should adjust your usage accordingly.
• Simple Syrup – Many prohibition recipes are quite sweet as the simple tended to be rich (2:1 ratio of sugar to water).  Our standard simple is not rich, so you may find that it needs additional sweetness to balance the Fernet.  There are two options here:
  • Add an additional 1/4 oz of Simple Syrup (1:1)
  • Make Rich Simple Syrup
• Angostura – As this is an Old Fashioned relative, you can swap the bitters to play with the flavor profile.  Angostura works well here as it also has a similar strength of presence (compared with Fernet Branca).
• Garnish – Orange is the default, however some recipes call for lemon.  Either can work.

For other variations, consider swapping out the Simple Syrup for Rich Demerara Syrup for a more caramelized notes.

Ernest Hemingway is well known for championing cocktails such as the Daiquiri and the Mojito, but he also is the purported creator of the absinthe based Death In The Afternoon.  The drink was reportedly dreamed up after Hemingway spent time in France and developed an affinity for absinthe in the early 1930’s.  As a result, it even became Hemingway’s contribution to a 1935 Cocktail Book called “So Red The Nose or Breath In The Afternoon”.   It was described thusly:

Pour 1 jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink 3 to 5 of these slowly

It’s fairly rare in classic cocktail books that such clear directions are given.  Yet, here it is.  So let’s take a crack and bringing Hemingway’s creation back to life (but maybe avoid having 3-5 of them at once!).

Death In The Afternoon

Death In The Afternoon

1 ½ oz

Absinthe or Pastis

5 oz

Sparkling Wine

In a flute, added Absinthe or Pastis. Pour chilled sparkling wine over the absinthe or pastis. No garnish.

Death In The Afternoon is unsurprisingly aggressively forward in it’s fennel and star anise characteristics. The bright, bubbly nature of the wine is beautifully setup to help liven the drink, but doesn’t get in the way of the licorice notes. You should be aware that while absinthe and pastis can have a sweetness about them, this drink is inherently dry. This makes it both strong, and unquestionably refreshing. While the complexity is lovely, you might find yourself unable to follow the prescribed 3-5.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

Absinthe or pastis used here is going to make a massive difference in your end flavor. For Pernod, which we used, the star anise and fennel characteristics were given space, and the licorice notes expanded with some of the wines natural citrus. The complexity remains, but is spaced out and given some additional flavors to bounce off of.

• Absinthe or Pastis – The primary difference between absinthe and pastis is that pastis uses star anise as the principal flavoring, instead of using green anise, wormwood of fennel that are used in Absinthe.  The resulting liqueur is different in it’s flavor profile, but similarly enough that it can be used as a substitute to absinthe.  If you looking for recommendations, you should be able to find Pernod (pastis) in most places, but we also recommend St. George Absinthe.
• Sparkling Wine – Absinthe is a fairly dominate flavor, so don’t both with anything overly expensive.  Look for cava, sparkling wine, or prosecco in the $10 – $20 range.  We used Kirkland’s Prosecco for ours.

If you need to increase the size of your artillery shells, may we recommend a French 95.  The cousin of the French 75, this cocktail swaps for gin for bourbon.  This change adds caramelized sugars and spices to drive depth.

French 95

French 95

1 oz

Gin

½ oz

Lemon Juice

½ oz

Simple Syrup

5 oz

Sparkling Wine

Combine all ingredients except wine in a shaker. Add a small amount of ice and short shake. Double strain into a coupe, and top with sparkling wine.

The French 95 is similarly refreshing to it’s gin based cousin, but with something a little extra. While the gin provides and herbal foil for the lemon to work against, the bourbon instead gives this drink a warmth. It comes through in touches of cherry and brown sugar that are not normally present in dry white wines. That warmth gives it an inviting character that’s more relaxing. The balance is well structure with sweet and bright, and it’s a thoroughly sessionable cocktail.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

A French 95 could be made in either a flute of coupe, depending on your glassware and preference. We’ve chosen to mix it up for aesthetics, but you should choose what works best for you. We actually prefer a flute, simply for the ability to drink it easily.

• Bourbon –  You can use any standard bourbon here you like.  We chose Buffalo Trace for ours, but Wild Turkey 101, Elijah Craig Small Batch, or any other would do.
• Lemon Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
• Simple Syrup – The standard 1:1 water to sugar simple is recommended here.
• Sparkling Wine –  You don’t need to break the bank to make a French 95.  Should you choose to use something expensive (like real Champagne with will run $45 – $60), it will be correspondingly good, but the returns aren’t likely to be 4 to 5 times better than using a $10 to $15 bottle of sparkling wine.  We recommend prosecco or cava here, and used Kirkland’s Prosecco for ours.

The French 75 is a classic drink named after the size of shells which were used by French Artillery guns.  Similar to the 75mm shells used, a series of French 75s could do some damaged.  Behind the delicate and dainty façade of the sparkling wine there’s a gin kicker and a lemon zinger involved.    Best of all, these cocktails are refreshing and easy to make.

French 75

French 75

1 oz

Gin

½ oz

Lemon Juice

½ oz

Simple Syrup

5 oz

Sparkling Wine

Combine all ingredients except wine in a shaker. Add a small amount of ice and short shake. Double strain into a wine flute, and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The French 75 is a delightfully refreshing cocktail in line with a Tom Collins, but with a more wine forward kick. The flavors of gin provide a gentle herbal note while the citrus from the wine interacts with the lemon. The small bubbles give a textural appeal, and the drink is in balance between sweet and bracing.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The French 75 is one of the easiest sparkling cocktails to make, and requires mostly ingredients you already have around.  The biggest issues you might encounter are glassware and picking a sparkling wine.  We’ll cover the sparkling wine below, but feel free to use a coupe in the event you don’t have a flute.

• Gin – Any gin will actually do for a French 75, although a traditional cocktail will be made with London Dry.  We used Beefeater for ours.
• Lemon Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
• Simple Syrup – The standard 1:1 water to sugar simple is recommended here.
• Sparkling Wine –  You don’t need to break the bank to make a French 75.  Should you choose to use something expensive (like real Champagne with will run $45 – $60), it will be correspondingly good, but the returns aren’t likely to be 4 to 5 times better than using a $10 to $15 bottle of sparkling wine.  We recommend prosecco or cava here, and used Kirkland’s Prosecco for ours.

Basic home bars can make a series of drinks with the addition of a bottle of sparkling wine.  Among them is the Airmail.  While airmail originally started in the 1910’s and 1920’s, the cocktail didn’t appear until almost halfway through the 20th century.  While the naming of the cocktail is a mystery, the actual drink is a tuned up Daiquiri adding flavor with honey and sparkling wine.  While a bit far from a true Tiki drink, this drink fits well for fans of rum.

Airmail

Airmail

1 oz

Aged Rum

½ oz

Lime Juice

½ oz

Rich Honey Syrup

5 oz

Sparkling Wine

Combine rum, honey, and lime in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a flute. Top with sparkling wine.
No garnish.

The Airmail does a nice job straddling the line between dry and sweet, and elegantly balances the flavors as it goes. The rum really is given an opportunity to shine here, bringing in subtle caramel notes, touches of spice, hints of molasses or brown sugar, and tropical fruit funk. Aided by the brightness of the lime and citrus qualities of the sparkling wine, it becomes both rich and refreshing.

Drink Notes & Recommendations:

The rum is a key flavor driver in an Airmail, and you should plan accordingly.  Expect this to be the dominate note in your cocktail, while wine serves to expand the flavors and add more complexity.

• Aged Rum – We used Bacardi 8 here, but any moderately aged rum will do.  Other recommended bottles include Doorly X.O., El Pasador de Oro, and Kirk and Sweeney 12.  You could also try Appleton Reserve for a more funky version, or a lightly aged rum to emphasize more of the supporting notes or less spice.
• Rich Honey Syrup – Combine 85 g water and 200 g honey in an 8 oz mason jar and seal. Sous vide at 145 degrees for 2 hr. Remove from the water bath and allow to cool. Once cool, bottle.  If desired, add 15 g of 150+ Proof Neutral Grain Spirit or vodka if desired. Shake gently to combine.  Refrigerate.
• Sparkling Wine – You could spend lots of money for a bottle of Dom Perignon, but that’d be a waste of great champagne.  Instead, look for sparkling wines around $10 – 15 a bottle listed as dry or brut.  These include sparkling wines, Cavas, and Proseccos.  We used Kirkland’s Asolo Prosecco for about $7 a bottle.
• Lime Juice – Use fresh squeezed for best results.

Used Bacaradi 8 and Costco Prosecco

The Jack Rose fell out of favor for long enough to drag applejack down with it.  This wasn’t entirely the fault of applejack, but rather one of the key supporting ingredients, grenadine.  For a long time the only available Grenadine was that neon red stuff that was basically sugar.  While perfect for Shirley Temples, it lacked the substance to balance out the Jack Rose.  Since Applejack only has a few classic cocktails that rely on it, this meant that both Applejack and the Jack Rose would have to wait until the mid 2000s for a revival.

Jack Rose

Jack Rose

2 oz

Applejack, Calvados, or Apple Brandy

¾ oz

Grenadine

¾ oz

Lemon (or Lime) Juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a coupe. No garnish.

The Applejack is a delightfully balanced combination of bright apple fruit flavors laced with touches of pomegranate and hints of citrus. When made with Calvados, this drink takes on a more earthy flavor, while apple brandy will allow the pome fruits to shine. Use applejack and the grenadine and citrus get the upper hand while apple notes play background. Overall, it’s a great cocktail that allows the personality of the base spirit to shine through.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Jack Rose’s citrus has to be among the disagreed upon cocktail ingredients of any classic.  There are essentially three schools of thoughts, and a fourth group of folks that can’t pick a side.  The first two are the most common, with the later being alternative recommendations:

• Lemon Juice
• Lime Juice
• Use either Lemon or Lime Juice
• Use both

There’s no denying that the last group is the least common, and the most experimental.  In the first two groups, there’s not even consensus on which ingredient was first.  While some cocktail historians believe the Jack Rose started with lemon juice, others – like Jim Meehan insist it’s Lime.

To try to sort this out, I made both lemon and lime.  In doing the side by side, I concluded the answer is a little bit dependent on what you want to experience from a Jack Rose.   When using lemon juice, this drink is forcefully reminiscent of a Sidecar.  In fact, at least one other cocktail historian calls this a “Pink Apple Sidecar”.  The reason for this is the balance.  Just like a sidecar, no particularly ingredient gives itself an edge, and the result is a balanced and integrated drink.

Lime provides a much less even drinking experience, but the malic acid provides opportunities for the other ingredients to strut in the drink.  The most prominent of these is the applejack, which throws of wonderfully rich earthy notes without overwhelming the drink.  The lime juice also creates more bite, so the tannic finish is slightly more aggressive.

Both cocktails are completely serviceable, and I recommend you try both – especially as you vary the base – to find what works best for you.

• Applejack, Apple Brandy, or Calvados –  For our testing we used Laird’s Applejack, but this is perhaps the least recommended.  If you have access to it, Laird’s Bonded will make a significantly more interesting drink.  If you’d like to turn up the old world earthy notes, grab a bottle of Calvados.
• Grenadine –  To make grenadine, combine equal parts by weight pomegranate juice and white sugar in a sauce pot.  Heat until almost simmering and all the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Add  ½ oz of neutral spirits (vodka / overproof such as Everclear) if desired for preservation. Place in a clean bottle and store in the fridge for up to several weeks.  Dispose of if any mold or haze develops.
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh squeezed.

In the same vein as a Bee’s Knees, the Bebbo is made with gin and honey.  Things begin to deviate at the orange juice.  While this sounds like it should just be another run of the mill drink, it’s pretty apparent after having one made with fresh orange juice that there’s something special here.  Something that would probably be more widely known if not for the completely esoteric and irrelevant name, Bebbo.

Bebbo

Bebbo

1 ½ oz

Old Tom Gin

¾ oz

Lemon Juice

½ oz

Rich Honey Simple

⅓ oz

Orange Juice

1

Cherry & Orange Flag

Combine all ingredients in a shaking tin vessel. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry.

The Bebbo reminds me of making a Bee’s Knees with Meyer’s Lemon.  A tea like complexity envelops the drink, and has a touch of floral characteristic to it.  The gin gives a backbone, that the honey, lemon, and orange build off of.    Make no mistake, it’s incredibly bright and somewhat sweet.  If you like a Bee’s Knees than the Bebbo deserves a try.

Rich Honey Syrup

While you can make a Bebbo by heating honey to loosen it up, it’s significantly easier to handle as a syrup.  To achieve something that’s resistant to bacteria, we combine honey at a 2:1 rate with honey.  To make:

• 200 g Honey
• 85 g Water
• 15 g 150+ Proof Neutral Grain Spirit or Vodka (Optional)

Combine water and honey in an 8 oz mason jar and seal. Sous vide at 145 degrees for 2 hr. Remove from the water bath and allow to cool. Once cool, bottle.  If desired, add 15 g of 150+ Proof Neutral Grain Spirit or vodka if desired. Shake gently to combine.  Refrigerate.

Drink Notes & Recommendations:

The Bebbo is mostly forgotten today, but the addition of fresh orange juice really does give it a little extra something.  There aren’t a ton of variations or consensus on this classic, but our recommendations contain some of the lessons learned with this classic.

• Gin – The original choice of gin for this London Dry.  Ironically, despite the half ounce of honey, this drink benefits from the natural sweetness of Old Tom Gin.  You can make it with London Dry, and it will still be nice, but consider tweaking the honey up a ¼ oz.
• Orange Juice – This is a situation where using fresh orange is critical.  Do not use bottled.
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh squeezed as always.
• Rich Honey Syrup –  While you can use honey here, we prefer the syrup listed above.  As with all syrups, discharge at the first signs of mold or clouding.

While you could craft your drink with butterfly tear infused tequila and garnish it antique cucumber flowers to reach refreshment, you can also just make the simple classic Tom Collins.  Originally made with Old Tom Gin, the Tom Collins is reminiscent of refreshing  spiked lemonade.  Best of all, it can be made with things you generally would have around your house.

Tom Collins

Tom Collins

2 oz

Gin

1 oz

Lemon Juice

¾ oz

Simple Syrup

2 oz

Club Soda

1

Orange and Cherry Flag Garnish

Fill a Collins glass with ice. Add club soda. In a shaker, add gin, simple, and lemon. Short shake and strain over club and ice in Collins glass. Garnish with an orange and cherry flag.

The Tom Collins remains popular today because it’s clean, simple, and refreshing. The gin is allowed to shine, but given a lift by copious fresh lemon and a hint of sweetness. The bubbly club livens it up, and the cherry and orange add a pop of color.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Tom Collins is fairly universal in terms of how they’re constructed, with only some minor variation in the amount of simple syrup.  There’s nothing particularly complicated here, but it also has a very similar build to most sours.  For that reason, you can riff on the Tom Collins by making adjustments in sweetness modifiers or citrus.

• Gin – Beefeater is our choice, but any London Dry Gin will work.
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh squeezed as always.
• Simple Syrup – A traditional 1:1 water to sugar simple is classic for this recipe.
• Garnish – To make a cherry orange flag, skewer the orange and the cherry together, and lay across the finished drink.
• Glassware – The word Collins is in the title.  Serve it in a Collins glass when possible.
• Ice – As you’re going to be adding ingredients, stop at about 70% ice when starting the Collins glass.  Add more if needed.

Supposedly the descendant of the “Joe Rickey”, a mixture of bourbon, lime, and carbonated water, the Gin Rickey emerged as a summery alternative.  Originally concocted in Washington, D.C., the Rickey is the native drink; they even have Rickey Month in July.   While this delicious refreshing drink is almost infinitely riffable, let’s start with how to make a basic.

Gin Rickey

Gin Rickey

2 oz

Gin

1 oz

Lime Juice

½ oz

Simple Syrup

4 oz

Club Soda

1

Lime Wedge Garnish

Combine all ingredients except club in a shaker. Add ice and short shake. Strain over fresh ice into a highball or Collins glass. Top with Club Soda, and garnish with a lime.

The Gin Rickey is easy going, simple, and refreshing. The pucker of lime is gentled by the addition of simple and club soda. The brightness keeps the drink refreshing, and the slight notes of herbs and spices from the gin add a little extra dimension.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Gin Rickey is simple, and therefore provides a starting base to riff on. Want to make give your Rickey a little ting of fruitiness? Replace some or all of the simple with Creme de Cassis or Apricot flavored liquor. Want to make it spicy? Add a dash of bitters. Looking for more complexity? Try some pastis or absinthe. The sky is really the limit.

Some will argue that the addition of simple here is in error. In many of the recipes we encountered for Gin Rickey’s the instructions suggest squeezing half a lime into the drink. We don’t recommend this method due to the variability in limes. You could end up with anywhere from just under a ¼ oz to almost ¾ oz of juice. The results become to variable. We also found that 1 oz of lime juice gives the drink a more refreshing, less gin forward character. With the amount of acidity that 1 oz of lime juice presents, it’s best to mitigate with some sweetness.

These are our recommendations of course, and we encourage you to experiment. As a starting point for a sugar free Gin Rickey, cut the lime juice to ½ oz and remove the simple syrup.

• Gin – Beefeater is our choice, but any London Dry Gin will do.
• Lime Juice – Use fresh squeezed as always.
• Simple Syrup – A traditional 1:1 water to sugar simple is most often used here.
• Garnish –  A standard lime wedge is all you need.
• Glassware – The traditional recommendation here is a highball.  We recommend a highball, but you can substitute a Collins glass in a pinch.
• Ice – Start your ice 70% of the way up your glass when pouring your shaken cocktail over.  Add club, and top with additional ice if needed.

The Moscow Mule actually belongs to a family of cocktails known as ‘Bucks’.  These cocktails are a combination of liquor, ginger ale or beer, and citrus.  The intention is that the drink gives you a kick.  The most popular of these is the vodka based variation, more commonly known as the Moscow Mule.

The Moscow Mule

Moscow Mule

2 oz

Vodka

½ oz

Lime Juice

6 oz

Ginger Beer

1

Lime Wheel Garnish

Combine Lime and Vodka in a shaker. Short shake with approximately half the ice you would normal shake with. Strain into a copper mug filled with crushed ice. Top with ginger beer and a lime wheel.

Simple and refreshing, Moscow mules require only 3 ingredients to deliver a spicy burst of ginger flavor.   The effervescence of the ginger beer compliments well with the brightness of the lime.  The ice ensures you can enjoy your mule for a good amount of time as you lounge about.  The vodka seamlessly ties the whole thing together.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Moscow Mule can be as simple or complicated as you’d like it to be.  We specifically tailored this recipe to help the basic bartender easily make the drink while keeping it delicious.  For these reasons, we used Gosling’s which covers the ginger element in spades.

That said, you may run across recipes that call for making your own ginger syrups and using club soda.  I encourage you to try some of these, like Death & Co’s* to see how much you can shift the profile of the Moscow Mule by refining the ingredients.  Remember though, there’s no shame in making something simple and delicious, even if it’s not the best, most complicated, hardest to source Mule on the planet.

• Vodka – As there is such a large quantity of ginger beer and lime in this drink, you’re unlikely to notice the vodka selection.  For that reason, we recommend you use your preference based on texture (and nothing too expensive).  We used Sobieski here.
  • As a sub note – some recipes recommend 1.5 oz of Vodka.  We find that this produces a somewhat off balance mule.  The 1 to 3 ratio is our recommendation.
• Lime Juice – Use fresh squeezed as always.
• Ginger Beer – Reminder, this is not ginger ale!  We recommend Gosling’s Ginger Beer for it’s spicy ginger notes and uplifting character.
• Garnish – A lime wheel skewered over the top is simple and elegant.  Add candied ginger for another level.
• Glassware – We recommend the stereotypical Copper serving vessel.
• Ice –  A final note, stop at 70% of the fill volume of your copper mug.  Once you add the other ingredients, you may have difficulty adding enough ginger beer.  It’s easier to add a little more crushed ice than trying to remove it.

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The Whiskey Sour is one of the most common drinks order.  Based off the common template of a sour, it combines whiskey with lemon and simple.   For this recipe, we’ll be omitting the egg whites, which can be added if you so choose.

Whiskey Sour

Whiskey Sour

2 oz

Bourbon

0.75 oz

Simple Syrup

0.75 oz

Lemon Juice

1

Lemon Wedge Garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon wedge or wheel.

The Whiskey Sour is a classic for not only it’s simplicity, but also it’s depth of flavor and ease to drink.  The refreshing lemon provides a bright splash of palate awakening, while the whiskey’s spice and oak notes are allowed to carry sweetly through.  The ice helps to keep the mix cold, allowing you the maximum enjoyment while slowly helping the whiskey to open up with additional dilution.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

If you’re noticing, the Whiskey Sour fits into the sour template (2 parts liquor, 1 part sweet, 1 part sour).   This template is fairly versatile, and you can use other base spirits (Gin for example) or different sweeteners (let’s swap simple for Cointreau – with Gin we have a White Lady).  This versatility is why this template should stick in your mind, and why this classic works so well.

That said, this is essentially one of the easiest drinks you can make.  So easy in fact, that even the notes are short.

• Bourbon – We used Elijah Craig Small Batch, but feel free to substitute your own preference.
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh squeezed as always.
• Simple Syrup – A traditional 1:1 water to sugar simple is most often used here.
• Garnish –  Simply cut a lemon wedge and put on the side.
• Glassware – A fresh large ice cube in a rocks glass is all you need.

Some of the classics have adjacent cocktails that are so well crafted they live on to this day.   Perhaps few cocktails have as many nearly identical templates as the Negroni.  This classic is a mix of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari.  The two most adjacent compliments are the Old Pal (made with rye and dry vermouth) and the Boulevardier, made with bourbon.

Boulevardier

The Boulevardier

1 ½ oz

Bourbon

¾ oz

Campari

¾ oz

Sweet Vermouth

1

Lemon Twist Garnish

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Boulevardier is one of the unforgettable classics that exemplifies balance. The start of sweetness shows the notes of baking spices and toasted oak. The sweetness gradually transitions to bitter notes, showing the herbal character of the vermouth and Campari. The mix is earthy and comforting, giving a hint of warmth to the drink. The play of spice, sweet, and bitter is accentuated by the lemon garnish.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

Boulevardiers have a plethora of variations.  The most classic of all Boulevardiers is a 1 to 1 to 1 ratio of Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, and Campari on the rocks with a twist of orange.  The drink evolved, with 2:1:1 ratios cropping to help give the whiskey some visibility in the drink.  Over time preference crept in regarding orange versus lemon as a garnish, with some feeling the lemon gave more visual separation and a brighter flavor.  The final frontier involves some suggesting this classic be served up in a coupe.    In our experience, all of these variations still make an acceptable drink, and you should tinker to find your preference.

• Bourbon – Campari is a powerhouse of a flavor, and your bourbon should correspond.  Wheated bourbons will add more sweetness here, but may lose some ground to the Campari.  We used Elijah Craig Small Batch for ours, but have found that Wild Turkey 101 or Old Granddad 114 can make excellent Boulevardiers.
• Sweet Vermouth – Just like bourbon, Sweet Vermouth needs an edge here.  For that reason we recommend Carpano Antica.  Feel free to substitute your favorite vermouth.
• Campari – For the classic, there is no substitute.  Use Campari.
• Garnish – Orange or lemon is acceptable.  In an up preparation, consider a luxardo cherry.
• Glassware –  A rocks glass is the classic choice.