Boulevardier

The Boulevardier is what the Negroni becomes when you reach for whiskey instead of gin. Born among American expatriates in 1920s Paris, it trades juniper for the caramel and spice of bourbon or rye — and in doing so turns a crisp aperitivo into something darker, rounder, and built for cold weather.

An American Drink, Made in Paris

The Boulevardier was created by Erskine Gwynne, an American writer and socialite living in Paris and a regular at Harry's New York Bar. Gwynne also founded a monthly magazine for Paris's American expatriate set called The Boulevardier (1927–1932); the cocktail and the magazine share their name, and both belong to him. The recipe first appeared in print in 1927, in Harry MacElhone's Barflies and Cocktails, in an essay by Arthur Moss titled "Cocktails About Town" — credited there directly to Gwynne ("Erskinne [sic] Gwynne crashed in with his Boulevardier Cocktail"). MacElhone published the book and ran the bar; he did not invent the drink.

It belongs entirely to Prohibition-era Paris: the place Americans went precisely so they could drink. Where the Negroni is Italian and sun-warmed, the Boulevardier is transatlantic — Italian bitters and vermouth, American whiskey, a French address.

Equal Parts, or Not

The original 1927 spec was equal parts — one measure each of whiskey, Campari, and sweet vermouth. Most modern bartenders tip the balance toward the spirit, pouring half again as much whiskey as the other two, because whiskey, unlike gin, needs the extra volume to keep from being swallowed whole by Campari's bitterness.

Both versions are correct. Equal parts gives a bitter, vermouth-led drink; the spirit-forward pour gives a whiskey drink with a bitter spine. The ratio below is the modern standard.

Bourbon or Rye?

Bourbon, with its corn-sweet roundness, leans into the drink's dessert-adjacent side and softens Campari's edge — the friendlier introduction. Rye, drier and peppery, keeps the drink brisk and pushes the bitterness forward — the connoisseur's pour. Either way, a bottle at 100 proof stands up best; a delicate whiskey simply disappears beneath the Campari.

The Negroni Family