Boulevard Cocktail

This is yet one more version of the Manhattan. It’s one we’ve been making and refining for a long time. Don’t confuse this with the Boulevardier – which is a wonderful cocktail that’s a cross between a Manhattan and a Negroni (with bitterness provided by Campari). The Boulevard is smooth and slightly sweet and gets even better when you have the patience to barrel age a batch. We put the ingredients into our little oak barrel almost two months ago and now we are more than ready to enjoy the results. In the meantime, the Artist has had some time to do some more painting, and the Mixologist has been playing around with new versions of the recipe.

Our Boulevard Cocktail is a great drink even if you don’t go through the barrel-aging process, but if you’re interested, our friends at DeepSouth Barrels can hook you up with a small oak barrel for your home bar. Not only does the aging process elevate your cocktails, but also quite convenient to have that pre-made batch ready to serve to guests. We generally barrel age bourbon or rye cocktails (see our recipes for: Autumn on 44th Street, Brooklyn, Manhattan Perfect), but we’ve also tried it with a dark rum-based cocktail (Jamaica Bay).

Our previously perfected version of the Boulevard uses rye, blanc vermouth, Grand Marnier and cherry bitters, but we mixed one using our local Capitoline White Vermouth and we really loved it. Dolin Blanc works well if you are outside of the Washington, DC area and can’t get Capitoline. As for the rye, pick your favorite. We really like Catoctin Creek Roundhouse Rye and Traverse City Whiskey’s North Coast Rye, but when you’re barrel aging you don’t have to use the “good stuff”.  We often just throw in the dregs from several different bottles of rye to make our own blend in the barrel. It’s the oak, the char, and the aging that turn your ingredients into an exceptional drink.

While we’re on the topic of dregs, we’ll discus why you shouldn’t be discouraged from purchasing yet another random bottle of liquor. In our previous post, the Gentleman in Moscow, we used Domain de Canton Ginger Liqueur in a martini-style Moscow Mule. This was a recipe we were really happy with, but once we get a bottle of a new liqueur we don’t want to limit ourselves to using it for only one cocktail. So, we tried a version the Boulevard using the ginger liqueur and switching the bitters, and we’re happy to report that it was excellent. Now you can justify the purchase of that bottle of Domain de Canton because we’re giving you another recipe (the Ginger Boulevard) where you can use it.

So here are two recipes – the Boulevard and the Ginger Boulevard, and the quantities (and some tips) for barrel aging a batch of Boulevard Cocktails in a one liter barrel. We’ve paired all of this with some new Cocktail Artist watercolor paintings that were done following last weekend’s trip to Manhattan.
Cheers!


The Boulevard Cocktail with City Shapes - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist

Boulevard

2 ounces Rye (Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye or Traverse City North Coast Rye)
1 ounce Blanc Vermouth (Capitoline White Vermouth or Dolin Blanc)
1 ounce Grand Marnier
2 dashes Cherry Bitters (Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry Bitters)

 Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir to chill the liquid and then strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
Ginger Boulevard with Cocktail Coupes - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist (and a barrel of Boulevard Cocktails)

Ginger Boulevard

2 ounces Rye (Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye or Traverse City North Coast Rye)
1 ounce Blanc Vermouth (Dolin Blanc or Capitoline White Vermouth)
1 ounce Ginger Liqueur (Domain de Canton)
2 dashes Orange Bitters (Scrappy's Bitters)

 Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir to chill the liquid and then strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
City Shapes - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist

Barrel-Aged Boulevard

Recipe is for a 1-liter barrel

16 ounces Rye 
8 ounces Blanc Vermouth (Dolin Blanc)
8 ounces Grand Marnier
16 dashes Cherry Bitters (Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry Bitters)

 Using a funnel, pour all ingredients into a 1-liter barrel. Shake the barrel and place it in a cool, dry place for 6-8 weeks. Turn or shake the barrel on a regular basis.

 To serve the cocktails, pour into a mixing glass with ice cubes and stir to chill. Strain into a cocktail coupe and garnish with an orange twist.

Cocktail Coupes - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist


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