The Boulevardier: A Signature Cocktail From Fall Weddings to Holiday Parties

The air turns crisp, guests come in from the cold, the candles are lit and the room glows warm. That is the moment the Boulevardier was made for.

It is rich, a little bitter, a little sweet, and deep ruby in the glass. It carries a fall wedding in October, and by December its color matches every garland in the room. It is also one of the easiest classic cocktails to serve well at volume, which is why it is our Signature Sip for the season.

A Paris Classic With an American Accent

The Boulevardier is credited to Erskine Gwynne, an American writer living in Paris who founded a monthly magazine called Boulevardier in 1927. The drink first appeared in print that same year in the cocktail book Barflies and Cocktails, as equal parts Campari, Italian vermouth and bourbon.

If that sounds familiar, it should. The Boulevardier is a close cousin of the Negroni, with bourbon in place of gin. That one change makes it warmer, rounder and better suited to cool weather. It is a drink that guests who order a Negroni will love, and that bourbon drinkers will try because of the bourbon.

The Recipe

The Boulevardier (one cocktail)

• 1½ oz bourbon (or rye, for a drier, spicier version)

• 1 oz Campari

• 1 oz sweet vermouth

• Orange peel, for garnish

Stir with ice until well chilled, about 20 to 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube, or serve up in a chilled coupe. Express the orange peel over the top and drop it in.

The original 1927 recipe used equal parts. Most bartenders today lean a little heavier on the bourbon, which lets the whiskey lead and softens the bitterness for guests who are new to Campari.

Pro Tip: Cut the orange peels before service and keep them covered and chilled. Garnishing becomes one quick motion per drink instead of a knife on the bar.

Why It Works at an Event

It batches beautifully. The Boulevardier is all spirits, with no juice to spoil or separate. It can be mixed ahead, chilled and poured over ice in seconds, which keeps a busy bar moving during the rush after guests come inside.

It looks like an occasion. Deep ruby red, a large clear cube and a bright orange twist. It photographs well and reads as special without any fuss.

It carries the whole season. It is at home at an October wedding cocktail hour, a November gala and a December holiday party. One signature cocktail, three months of events.

Batching for a Crowd

For pre-batched stirred cocktails, add water to the batch to replace the dilution that stirring with ice would normally provide.

Per 25 cocktails:

• 37½ oz bourbon (about 1½ bottles, 750 ml)

• 25 oz Campari (about 1 bottle)

• 25 oz sweet vermouth (about 1 bottle)

• 18 oz cold water

Combine in a clean container, stir, and chill for several hours before the event. To serve, pour about 4 oz over a large cube and garnish with an orange peel.

For 100 cocktails, multiply by four: about 6 bottles of bourbon, 4 of Campari, 4 of sweet vermouth, and 72 oz (9 cups) of cold water.

Pro Tip: Open the vermouth the day of the batch, not weeks before. Vermouth is wine, and it loses its brightness once opened. Keep any open bottles refrigerated.

The Bottom Line

The Boulevardier was first poured in Paris almost a century ago, and it still feels made for this time of year: warm, deep red, and easy to serve to a full room. From an October wedding to the last holiday party in December, it is one drink that fits every event on the calendar.

Planning a fall wedding or a holiday party? Our professional bartenders and mixologists can build the Boulevardier, or a signature cocktail of your own, into your bar program, from the menu to the last pour.