Tag: Campari

Boulevardier, Cocktail of the Week

Boulevardier

I’ve had the Boulevardier on the list of cocktails to make for some time. It just kept getting kicked back another week as other cocktails came up that seemed more interesting. And then it got kicked back because I had that string of Campari based cocktails all in a row and I didn’t feel comfortable doing yet another.

So what is a Boulevardier? It’s the Fall/Winter cousin of the Negroni. Subbing out gin for bourbon or rye whisky. This single substitution though changes the entire drink. Whisky smooths out and mellows the edges of a drink that is already made sharp by Campari. Something that the Negroni really did need…

Boulevardier
The ingredients

Boulevardier

  • 1 oz. Campari
  • 1 oz. sweet vermouth
  • 1 1/2 oz. rye whisky

Add all ingredients to ice filled rocks glass. Stir to combine. Garnish with a orange twist.

Boulevardier

Though as with the Negroni, you don’t want to hurry this cocktail. Take your time. Enjoy the interplay of rye and sweet vermouth. Embrace the medicinal brace of Campari as it splashes against the back of your throat.

The winter is long and cold and this drink can only keep you warm for so long. Embrace and enjoy it while it lasts.

Cocktail of the Week: Garibaldi

Garibaldi

If you can cast your mind to September, and this blog, you might remember a post I made on the Grapefruit Garibaldi cocktail. I enjoyed that cocktail quite a bit, enough to look up the original and make a note to return to at some point. It took a little longer than I wanted. Vacation and New York City cocktails got in the way. So, what would be a perfect fall cocktail seems a little out of place as we move into the chill of winter! Oh well!

The Garibaldi is named after Italian General Giuseppe Garibaldi who played a pivotal role in the unification of Italy and is considered one of the country’s founding fathers. This drink takes its name from the popular historical figure’s red shirt and is inspired by its crimson ingredients. It is believed the cocktail was invented at the beginning of the 20th century, by mixing all-Milanese Capari with orange juice, the symbolic fruit of Sicily, where Garibaldi’s red-clad men landed in 1860 to liberate it and annex the island what would soon become the newly constituted Italian state.

Garibaldi
The ingredients

Garibaldi

  • 1 oz. Campari
  • 3 oz. Fresh orange juice

Fill old fashioned glass with ice. Add Campari and top with orange juice. Stir. Garnish with half slice of orange.

Garibaldi

This drink tastes as lovely as it looks. Sweet orange citrus with a slight bitter bite. I sat on my back porch last night watching the sunset sipping this drink hoping that through the act I might invoke an Indian Summer but it doesn’t seemed to have worked. Next time I’ll just have one in Sicily during the Mediterranean summer. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Cocktail of the Week: Grapefruit Garibaldi

Grapefruit Garibaldi

I’ll admit it is getting harder and harder to preface these posts. Do I really need a reason or pretense to make myself a delicious alcoholic beverage once a week and share it with my friends? Who knows, I don’t make any of the “rules” around here. I just slavish obey them like I’m supposed to…

Anyway, it was hot this week. Hotter than it should be in September in Northern California. I keep waiting for people to decide to work together through the tool of government to do something about the ever increasing global temperature but nothing seems to happen… Must be why I keep drinking.

This week’s cocktail is a twist on the popular Italian aperitif, the Garibaldi, which may one day be a cocktail I make on this very blog. It doesn’t have whisky in it though so don’t hold your breath. This tweak of the recipe adds bourbon, grapefruit juice and honey. All things that make the serviceable Garibaldi into something sublime.

Grapefruit Garibaldi
The ingredients

Grapefruit Garabaldi

  • 1 1/2 oz. bourbon
  • 1 oz. Campari
  • 2 1/2 oz. grapefruit juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey

Combine all ingredients in an old fashioned glass. Stir gently until honey dissolves. Add a few ice cubes. garnish with 1/4 grapefruit slice.

Grapefruit Garibaldi

I’m trying to remember where I first heard of this drink, so I could properly credit the source for enlightening me! The Grapefruit Garibaldi succeeds in juggling three very distinct flavors into something delicious without losing the uniqueness of each ingredient. A lovely blend of sweet bourbon, sour grapefruit, and bitter Campari. The only way this drink could be improved is if I was drinking it in a village on the north coast of Italy. Which, to be honest, would be a vast improvement…

Cocktail of the Week: Negroni

Negroni

Earlier this year I wrote about the precursor to the Negroni, the Americano, a cocktail with Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda. I had originally intended to follow up that post with the Negroni but got distracted for about six months… So, here we are today with this classic cocktail. Simple, delicious, with a flavor profile anyone would love. Unless, you’re not a fan of herbal or bitter liquors… If that’s the case you should probably ignore any cocktail with Campari in it. I really think the Negroni is delicious though. It’s a delightful digestif.

Negroni
The ingredients

 Negroni

  • 1 oz. gin
  • 1 oz. Campari
  • 1 oz sweet vermouth

In an old fashioned glass half full of ice pour ingredients. Stir. Garnish with orange peel.

Negroni

I don’t know what I can add to the gallons of ink that has already been spilled in discussion of the Negroni. You don’t get labelled a classic for nothing. Smooth with a touch of bitterness at the end, this drink goes down easy. Though you don’t want to rush this one. Relax. Take your time. Enjoy the drink. Enjoy the moment. This too shall pass and there is nothing to guarantee that the future won’t be as delightful as this moment is.

Cheers!

%d bloggers like this: