Searching for an aperitif to round out that fantastic Thanksgiving dinner you have been planning? Try this twist on the Boulevardier, a classic cocktail based on the Negroni, but with whiskey instead of gin as the base spirit.
The traditional Boulevardier recipe calls for 1 1/2 ounces of bourbon and an ounce each of Campari and sweet vermouth. But Thanksgiving can involve more drinks than the average meal so I dialed back the bourbon just a touch to 1 ounce. I also replaced the sweet vermouth with Kina l’Aero d’Or (more on this fantastic aperitif wine here). And I added 1/4 ounce of lemon juice to balance out the sweetness just a touch. Stir these ingredients together, strain into a rocks glass, express a lemon peel and add the peel as garnish, and you get something like this:
The cocktail works nicely as a Thanksgiving aperitif because the tangy flavors of Campari and lemon combine in a way that pleasantly previews the cranberry sauce to come. And as noted above, the drink isn’t so strong that you could not have a couple of them if the dinner takes a little bit longer to get to the table than anticipated, as is often the case at Thanksgiving.
Here is the recipe:
Thanksgiving Boulevardier
Ingredients
- 1 oz. bourbon I used E.H. Taylor
- 1 oz. Campari
- 1 oz. Kina l'Aero d'Or quinquina
- 1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- lemon peel
Instructions
- Combine the bourbon, Campari, quinquina and lemon juice with ice in a mixing glass and stir.
- Strain into a rocks glass.
- Add a large ice cube.
- Express lemon peel over the glass and add the peel as garnish.
Happy Thanksgiving!