IBA official cocktail | |
---|---|
Type | Cocktail |
Base spirit | |
Served | Straight up: chilled, without ice |
Standard garnish | Orange zest, optionally a lemon zest |
Standard drinkware | Cocktail glass |
IBA specified ingredients† |
|
Preparation | Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. |
† Boulevardier recipe at International Bartenders Association |
The boulevardier cocktail is an alcoholic drink composed of whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Campari. [1] It originated as an obscure cocktail in late 1920s Paris, and was largely forgotten for 80 years, before being rediscovered in the late 2000s as part of the craft cocktail movement, rapidly rising in popularity in the 2010s as a variant of the negroni, and becoming an IBA official cocktail in 2020.
The boulevardier first appeared in print in the Parisian cocktail book Barflies and Cocktails (1927), where it is ascribed to Erskine Gwynne, an American-born writer who founded a monthly magazine in Paris called Boulevardier, which appeared from 1927 to 1932. [1] [2] [lower-alpha 1] The cocktail appears, not in the main list of recipes, but in the essay "Cocktails About Town" by Arthur Moss, which describes cocktails by men-about-town. The boulevardier is described as an equal parts cocktail: [5]
The very similar "Old Pal" cocktail appears in the same essay, differing only in using Canadian Club whisky, rather than bourbon. [6]
The boulevardier did not catch on: no references to it have been found to it in cocktail books between 1927 and 2007, and it is absent from major collections. [7] [8] This contrasts with the Old pal, which appeared in the main list of recipes in later editions of MacElhone, such as MacElhone (1952), and was well-known enough to be one of the 50 cocktails in the inaugural 1961 list of IBA official cocktails. This also contrasts with the negroni, which only appeared in the late 1940s, but became popular in the 1950s [8] and also appeared in the 1961 IBA list.
The cocktail was rediscovered and popularized first by Ted Haigh, later by others, [7] [8] starting with an article in the 2007 March/April issue of Imbibe, writing as "Dr. Cocktail". [9] [10] Haigh subsequently published a recipe in Haigh (2009a), [11] together with further articles. [12] The cocktail was further popularized by Paul Clarke, who learned about it from Haigh, [9] and then published recipes on Serious Eats [13] and Clarke (2015). The boulevardier was still rare in the early 2010s, [4] but by the mid-2010s was popular. [1]
The boulevardier was listed as an IBA official cocktail starting in the 2020 list, in the "Unforgettables" section. [14]
The Old pal is a similar contemporary cocktail, appearing in the same essay in MacElhone (1927), originally differentiated by using rye whiskey (Canadian Club) instead of bourbon (otherwise identical equal parts cocktails with Italian vermouth and Campari). It is now distinguished primarily by using dry "French" vermouth instead of sweet "Italian" vermouth; the IBA recipes also differ as equal parts (1:1:1) instead of the boulevardier's 1½:1:1 (3:2:2) and the whiskey always being rye, instead of bourbon or rye.
The boulevardier is similar to a Negroni, sharing two of its three ingredients. It is differentiated primarily by its use of bourbon whiskey or rye whiskey as its principal component instead of gin. [15] [16] In the IBA standard recipes it is also distinguished by being served straight up (no ice, stemmed glass) instead of down on the rocks (ice, tumbler); having more spirit than other components (1½:1:1), instead of having equal parts; and being garnished with an orange twist, rather than an orange slice. All of these other than whiskey vs. gin vary in specific recipes, however.
Recipes vary the proportions of its components. The original 1927 recipe is equal parts (1:1:1), but Haigh's 2007 revival is 3:2:2, calling for 1+1/2 parts rather than 1 part whiskey, and these are the proportions used in the IBA standard and many boulevardier recipes. [15] [4] Others are heavier still (2:1:1), and call for two parts bourbon to one part vermouth and one part Campari. [17]
A Manhattan is a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. While rye is the traditional whiskey of choice, other commonly used whiskies include Canadian whisky, bourbon, blended whiskey, and Tennessee whiskey. The cocktail is usually stirred with ice then strained into a chilled cocktail glass and garnished traditionally with a maraschino cherry. A Manhattan may also be served on the rocks in a lowball glass.
The old fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling sugar with bitters and water, adding whiskey or sometimes brandy, and garnishing with an orange slice or zest and a cocktail cherry. It is traditionally served with ice in an old fashioned glass.
The Rob Roy is a cocktail consisting primarily of whisky and vermouth, created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan, New York City. The drink was named in honor of the premiere of Rob Roy, an operetta by composer Reginald De Koven and lyricist Harry B. Smith loosely based upon Scottish folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor.
French 75 is a cocktail made from gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. It is also called a 75 Cocktail, or in French simply a Soixante Quinze.
The Sazerac is a local variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail originally from New Orleans, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac brandy that served as its original main ingredient. The drink is most traditionally a combination of cognac or rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters, and sugar, although bourbon whiskey is sometimes substituted for the rye and Herbsaint is sometimes substituted for the absinthe. Some claim it is the oldest known American cocktail, with origins in antebellum New Orleans, although drink historian David Wondrich is among those who dispute this, and American instances of published usage of the word cocktail to describe a mixture of spirits, bitters, and sugar can be traced to the dawn of the 19th century.
The sidecar is a cocktail traditionally made with brandy, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. It became popular in Paris and London in the early 1920s. Common modifications of the original recipe are a sugar rim, added sugar syrup, and an orange twist or lemon twist.
The negroni is a cocktail, made of equal parts gin, vermouth rosso, and Campari, generally served on the rocks, and commonly garnished with an orange slice or orange peel. It is considered an apéritif.
The Americano is an IBA official cocktail composed of Campari, sweet vermouth, and for the sparkling version, club soda and garnished with a slice of lemon.
Rose is a cocktail made of vermouth, Kirschwasser and fruit syrup. Some recipes include cherry liqueur and gin.
A buck is a cocktail that is made with ginger ale or ginger beer, citrus juice, and any of a number of base liquors. Buck cocktails are sometimes called "mules" due to the popularity of a vodka buck that is known as a Moscow mule.
The old pal is a cocktail consisting of equal parts rye whiskey, French vermouth (dry), and Campari.
Harry MacElhone was an early 20th century bartender, famous for his bar in Paris, Harry's New York Bar; his influential cocktail book, Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails; and for inventing or first publishing numerous classic cocktails.
The Zazarack cocktail, later spelled Zazarac, is an American cocktail which may be related to the Sazerac, although it might have originated completely independent of the more famous drink.
The doctor cocktail is a pre-prohibition era cocktail that traces in drink guides to as far back as 1917, when it appeared in Hugo R. Ensslin's Recipes for Mixed Drinks. As originally described the cocktail called simply for Swedish Punsch mixed with lime juice.
A Boomerang cocktail is a specific cocktail dating back to the early 20th century. In the 21st century, it may also be a reference to cocktails that bartenders illegally shuttle back and forth between bars as a way of sharing experimentation or building comradery.
A whiskey cocktail is a cocktail that includes whiskey. Although whiskey is often served neat or on the rocks, it is used in many classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, and Julep. Some specifically call for Scotch whisky or bourbon whiskey.
The paper plane is a whiskey-based cocktail created in 2008. In 2020 it was added to the International Bartenders Association's (IBA) list of official cocktails as a new era drink.
The Chrysanthemum is a cocktail made with absinthe, Bénédictine, and vermouth. The pre-prohibition cocktail is sometimes credited to 1930 edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book, although an earlier recipe appears in the influential early 20th century cocktail book Recipes for Mixed Drinks (1916) by Hugo R. Ensslin.