A Boulevardier cocktail is a great sipping drink that is very similar in many aspects to the popular Negroni. In fact, it’s essentially the same recipe with bourbon instead of gin as the main spirit of choice.

Love bourbon based cocktails? Try my The Suffering Bastard Cocktail or Maple Rosemary Bourbon Sour.

Boulevardier cocktail on a wood table with liquor bottles in the background

What is in a Boulevardier?

As I mentioned earlier, this cocktail is very similar to the Negroni. When it comes to ingredients, the main spirits used to prepare this cocktail are bourbon, vermouth and Campari. I like to use Four Roses bourbon as I personally think it’s one of the best tasting low cost bourbons on the market and it’s taste lends itself quite nicely to lots of cocktails but feel free to use your bourbon of choice.

What does Boulevardier Mean?

The term Boulevardier loosely translates to “man who frequents the boulevards” or a “man about town”. Another common term is bon vivant.

How to Make a Boulevardier

To begin, gather up a bottle of your bourbon of choice, some Campari and a sweet vermouth. You’ll also need a cocktail shaker and some ice. Combine the ingredients (according to the measurements in the recipe card below) into the cocktail shaker with ice and shake until cold. Pour into an old fashioned style glass or a short brandy glass as shown in our pictures here and serve.

For some other great cocktails, give my Sazerac, Rum Runner, Hurricane Cocktail or Apple Cider Cocktail a try or check out my other cocktail recipes.

Drink safe!

Mike