DADDY’S EVENING SOLACE

OUR TAKE ON THE BOULEVARDIER

Look, we love a negroni as much as literally everyone else in the world right now.  But sometimes our spirit animal (see what we did there?) beckons for a brown drink.  That’s when the Boulevardier appears (in the classic cocktail canon, it’s basically a negroni with bourbon in place of the gin).

The orthodox recipe calls for equal parts bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth.  While we’re not angry at that configuration, personally that drinks a wee bit too sweet for us and we like to tweak the proportions in favor of the whiskey (in this case Sausalito Liquor Co. Unsinkable Bourbon).  While we’re at it, we’ve made a few other alterations to the classic recipe, tipping in a scant ¼ ounce of the most wicked fernet we could find while no one is looking. 

The result is a dark, mysterious take on the Boulevardier with an edge of mischief that makes it ideal for a foggy night on the deck of your Sausalito houseboat or wherever you find yourself avoiding the vagaries of real life.

Ingredients and Process

2 oz. Sausalito Liquor Co. Unsinkable Bourbon

¾ oz. Your favorite bitter red aperitif — you know, like Campari or something

½ oz. sweet vermouth

¼ oz. fernet (we like the crushing madness of Fernet Francisco, if you can find it)

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Assemble everything over some big chunks of ice in your Waterford crystal mixing glass or whatever cylinder you have handy that reliably holds liquid.  Stir mercilessly and without a trace of lament for 30 seconds.  Strain into a glass over a fresh boulder of ice or enjoy it up, if that’s your fancy. 

Nurse it slowly and stare dead-eyed into the vague middle distance.  After half the drink is gone, you will notice that your dead-eyed stare is now accompanied by a shit-eating grin.  This is the intended outcome.

These are tasty, so you’re probably going to need another bottle of Unsinkable Bourbon. Head on over to the Shop and make it so!