Some time ago I made a negroni and I wasn’t enamoured with it. It was a bit too bitter for  me. It was the Campari, it looks lovely but it is bitter and it was just too much for me.

I do love Aperol, I’ve mentioned before that Aperol is a great way in for people who find Campari too bitter. Last week, John came to dinner and I offered him an aperol spritz and we stayed on them all night and finished the aperol. John spent a couple of years in Rome for work and as he said drank them “like it was his job” so I was delighted that he liked it!

I’m not the first person to have thought it but it wasn’t long before I wondered about putting aperol in a negroni in place of the campari and then I did a quick google and there was the Boulevardier, which put bourbon in place of the gin in a negroni and I was away. So today is a Boulevardier straight up and an aperol ‘negroni’ on the rocks. By all means try them in any combination, if you already have let me know how you liked them!

I used Noilly Prat for my sweet vermouth because that’s the one I have and until they start making vermouth in smaller bottles I only have one sweet and one dry vermouth at home (oh and the Lillet) because there’s a limit to how much I can keep in the fridge with a vacuum seal (yes I know but some things are important to me!). Tanqueray is one of the three gins that I like to have on hands, the others are Plymouth and Sipsmith, which should tell you a lot about the kind of gin I like to drink! (although I am fond of Martin Miller too).

I liked the Boulevardier with Campari and  ‘Negroni’ with the Aperol. I’m still working with the bitter stuff but the bourbon stood up to the Campari and the bitter notes were just that notes rather than dominating the drink.

The Boulevardier

What

1 and a half oz bourbon

1oz campari

1oz sweet vermouth

Ice

How

1) Add the bourbon, campari and vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice.

2) Stir and pour into chilled glass

3) Garnish with orange zest.

Aperol ‘negroni’

What

1oz Aperol

1oz gin

1oz sweet vermouth

How

1) Put the gin, Aperol and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass filled with ice.

2) Stir and pour into a glass filled with ice.

3) Garnish with orange zest.