It’s National Bourbon Day! That means that it’s a great day to make a killer bourbon cocktail. Hell, let’s not just make one cocktail, let’s make a batch that we can enjoy for the rest of the week. A batched Boulevardier, to be precise.
I love boulevardiers with bourbon. The sweetness and spice of the good bourbon really shine through the bitter Campari and sweet smoothness of good vermouth. It all just makes sense. It’s also a flavor bomb that travels through your senses from familiar and sweet to biting and bold to soft and almost creamy (especially when batched). Moreover, boulevardiers are the perfect candidate for cocktail batching. There are no components that can go off when you store them and it’s super easy to figure out the ratio/measurements when ratching this up from a single serving to a batch.
The key to any batch though is the water. Don’t forget to cut your batched cocktail with water. But we’ll get to that. Let’s dive in a make a big ol’ batch of one of the best bourbon cocktails there is!
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Batched Boulevardier
Ingredients:
- 10 oz. bourbon
- 10 oz. sweet vermouth
- 10 oz. Campari
- 6 oz. water
- Large ice cubes
- Lemon peels
- Orange peels
The key to any bourbon cocktail — batched or not — is to use a really good bourbon that you love drinking. I’m using Michter’s Small Batch Bourbon here because 1) it’s delicious on its own, 2) it makes a killer cocktail, and 3) it’s bold enough to stand up to the big flavors in this Negroni variation.
I also like using French vermouth with this because it’s a little softer and more floral. It’s not as syrupy as the Italian sweet vermouths, which are much more suited to fall/winter mixing. Noilly Prat is my go to.
And yes, you need to add water to a batched cocktail. When you mix or shake a cocktail, you’re adding water by diluting the drink while chilling it. You need to add the water to the batch so that you can simply pour this over ice and you’re done. This recipe is ready to drink.
Lastly, I like orange and lemon oils over my boulevardier. That’s a taste thing (it’s also how we served them at Vicotria Bar in Berlin — so it’s a habit thing for me too). The lemon brightens while the orange deepens. You can use one or the other if you’re not into both. But, trust me, both are better.
What You’ll Need:
- Pitcher
- Measuring cup
- Barspoon
- 1-liter bottle
Method:
- Add the bourbon, sweet vermouth, Campari, and water to a pitcher and stir a few times.
- Funnel the mix into a waiting bottle and chill for at least an hour.
- Pour four ounces of the boulevardier over a large ice cube in a rocks glass, expressed lemon and orange oils over the cocktail, and discard.
- Serve.
Bottom Line:
What I love about batching boulevardiers is that they get this creamy mouthfeel that really elevates the drink. You can get that by stirring individual cocktails for sure, but it takes longer. This is truly a pour-over ready-to-drink cocktail that rocks.
The palate is this wonderful mix of dark orchard fruit that’s cut with cinnamon and allspice that tumbles toward sweet bitter orange, candied lemon, dried lavender, and refined sweetness. It hits so softly at first then builds towards this bold and flavor-bomb finish that begs you to go back for more. Plus, that mouthfeel/texture is just glorious. This is a winner, folks.
The best part is that you have 1 liter of Boulevardier at the end. At four-ounce pours, that should give you nine cocktails to enjoy. Cheers!
