The Boulevardier is known as the French cousin of the Negroni, but it is not really a reinterpretation; it has a story of its own.
It was officially created in 1927 in Paris by the bartender of Harry’s Bar, Harry MacElhone, an American expatriate in Europe, but it seems that the first recipe dates back to 1794, and thus preceding the Negroni.
The name was chosen because in French “boulevard” means street, which therefore links to the boulevardier, the “bon vivant”, the classic dandy of the Belle Epoque, which the creator of the cocktail was so inspired by.
A cocktail with a strong and enveloping character, it can be served as an aperitif or, given its high alcohol content, even at the end of a meal.
