Banana Boulevardier
A fruity and bitter whiskey cocktail ∙ Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 22.3% ABV ∙
The Banana Boulevardier is a Boulevardier with banana liqueur added to the bourbon, sweet vermouth and red bitter, stirred and served over ice.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: Bourbon 30 mlRosso vermouth 30 mlRed bitter 15 mlBanana liqueur 15 ml
- Strain into the ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice)
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and discard
- Garnish with dried banana chips
Tips
- Stir for about 20-25 seconds, until the mixing glass feels ice-cold; stir much longer and the drink turns thin and watery.
History
The Banana Boulevardier is a modern riff on the Boulevardier, a whiskey, Campari, and sweet vermouth cocktail first documented in Harry MacElhone's 1927 Paris bar guide Barflies and Cocktails. There it was credited to Erskine Gwynne, an American expatriate writer who had founded a Paris magazine of the same name.
The banana variation is traced to Terry Williams, general manager of Anvil Bar & Refuge in Houston, who put a Banana Boulevardier on the menu in August 2015. He had been trying to use up a near-empty bottle of banana liqueur and found that it paired surprisingly well with Campari when poured in equal measure. The Anvil original keeps the Boulevardier's whiskey, Campari, and sweet vermouth base but adds banana liqueur, lending the classic a fruitier, richer edge.
Three years later, Los Angeles bartender Austin Hennelly independently developed his own banana-Campari riff using a centrifuged banana-infused whiskey, while a Brooklyn bartender, Matt Levy, championed the punchier name "Bananavardier" for his own version after reading about Williams' drink.
FAQ
What is in a Banana Boulevardier?
30 ml bourbon, 30 ml sweet (rosso) vermouth, 15 ml of a red bitter such as Campari and 15 ml banana liqueur. The bourbon leads, and the banana liqueur adds fruity sweetness.
Is a Banana Boulevardier shaken or stirred?
Stirred. It is all spirit, vermouth and liqueur with no juice, so stirring chills and dilutes it while keeping it clear and silky.
What's the best bourbon for a Banana Boulevardier?
A standard-proof bourbon with a little sweetness. It has to hold its own against the vermouth and red bitter without clashing with the banana. A high-rye bourbon adds spice that cuts the sweetness; a wheated one is softer and sits closer to the banana.
