Cocktail Recipe Cards

Classic · whiskey

Boulevardier

A Negroni with bourbon in the gin's place, and slightly more of it. Richer, warmer, and the better of the two in winter.

Boulevardier

Stirred
  • 1½ oz 45 ml Bourbon
  • 1 oz 30 ml Campari
  • 1 oz 30 ml Sweet vermouth
Method Stir with ice for 20–25 seconds. Strain over a large cube, or up into a chilled coupe. Express an orange peel and drop it in.
Glass Rocks or coupe · One large cube (if on the rocks)
Garnish Orange peel, expressed
1927 · Paris Cocktail Recipe Cards
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Card updated September 7, 2026. Measures use 30 ml per ounce, the spec-sheet convention.

The spec

One and a half ounces of bourbon, an ounce each of Campari and sweet vermouth. The extra half ounce of whiskey versus the Negroni’s equal parts is the whole reason this is its own card: bourbon is sweeter and softer than gin, so it needs more room to be heard.

Bourbon or rye. Bourbon makes the classic, rounder drink. Rye makes something drier and spicier that sits closer to the Negroni. Both are right; label the card.

Up or on the rocks. The Boulevardier is served both ways more evenly than most drinks. On a big cube it’s a slow sipper. Up, it’s a richer Manhattan cousin. The same card covers both with a glass line.

Where people disagree

  • Equal parts. Some specs keep it at 1 : 1 : 1 like the Negroni. It’s fine, and it’s a bit Campari-heavy. The 1½ oz version is what most bars pour now.
  • Vermouth. A big, vanilla-heavy vermouth (Carpano Antica) suits bourbon particularly well here. A lighter one makes the drink leaner. Same advice as the Negroni: put the brand on the card.
  • Garnish. Orange peel is standard. A brandied cherry alongside it leans it toward a Manhattan, and some people prefer that.

Make it yours

Split the bourbon with a smoky Scotch (¾ oz each) and the drink turns into something wintry and strange in a good way. Swap the Campari for a gentler red bitter and it’s softer and more approachable for people who find Campari too much. Swap the sweet vermouth for a coffee liqueur, ½ oz, and you’ve left the family entirely, which is fine.

Because the Boulevardier and the Negroni share two ingredients and a method, they’re a good pair to keep on adjacent cards: when you find a vermouth you like in one, the other is a five-second test.

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