Boulevardier or Negroni?

September 24, 2021 by evebushman

Have you had a Boulevardier or a Negroni before? Both have only three simple ingredients, and the only difference between the two is the base spirit – bourbon or rye in the former and gin in the latter. If you are a fan of either of these cocktails, or their base spirits, I think you would enjoy the other. First, a little bit of my experience of each:

The Negroni has been a favorite of mine for years. It is equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. I often make it up as an aperitif before dinner. I think the first time I had it might have been at Olive Terrace Bar and Grill when Jonathan Cross reigned supreme in the bar. If you are a gin fan and haven’t made it before I highly suggest that you give it a try.

I had my first Boulevardier at the High West Distillery in Salt Lake City, Utah, during a skiing trip with my family a few years ago. It came in a bottle, premade, and I liked it so much I bought a bottle to take home. Served it up to a few pals there, finished it and for some reason forgot about it and never had it again. I also never knew that the recipe was so simple.

Boulevardier recipe

Ingredients

1 ¼ ounces bourbon or rye (I used bourbon as I wanted it to be smoky and not too sweet. For a Negroni the only difference is that it would be made with one ounce gin instead of the rye or bourbon as mentioned above. Don’t use your most special bottle as it will be mostly drowned out by the other ingredients. And, one last thing, I’ve been known to go 1 ¼ of gin in my Negroni too.)
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Garnish: orange twist

Steps

Add bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.
Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
Garnish with an orange twist.

The recipe above is from Liquor.com – click their name for more history on the drink. I added the section in parenthesis.

Both cocktails won’t kill any budget. I happen to always have Campari and sweet vermouth in my refrigerator (remember to keep them there once opened) making it easy to put together when you feel like it. Now that I’ve made the Boulevardier, I like the idea of having either as an aperitif. Both have a nice bitter and sweet taste, and if I begin my night with the Boulevardier, I will enjoy a brown spirit on the rocks after dinner. If I begin with the Negroni I usually have a nice gin on the rocks with a little Vermouth or Lillet Blanc after dinner.

Which will you try?

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Experiencing the Universal Whisky Experience 2019

May 17, 2019 by evebushman

In the three years we’ve been lucky enough to attend the Universal Whisky Experience, aka the Nth, I’d have to say it just keeps getting better and better. This year we covered less ground (husband and I split the room – at the Wynn in Las Vegas – in two) and still only tasted maybe a quarter of what was being poured. And even though we each had two tickets for Super Pours, the brand ambassadors offered us everything they had – or it at least seemed that way! (If you just want a synopsis you can go here for photos alone.)

Last time I can share this banner…with yours truly on the top right next to The Nose!

This year I spent my first hour giving some attention to a few Bourbon tables; though I usually make a beeline for the oldest single malts in the room, I mixed it up this time. It might be because there was a large table set up with pre-measured pours, pens and tasting notes drawing my attention to the back of the main hall.

The table I’m referring to was set up Maker’s Mark Bourbon. The tasting experience that Maker’s Mark “Diplomat” Phil Olson talked me through was amazing. I learned about the different oak expressions, and the aromas and flavors each had. I noted that I liked the Seared French Cuvee, Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength (46 is the name of the particular wood), Roasted French Mocha and Toasted French Spice – this final one was my favorite. All four used French oak. I also noted that as my palate “warmed” so did my preferences. (Phil had me go back and revisit a couple.) I could’ve spent the entire evening there, and never made it to his finale where you are meant to blend your favorites, then get a few pals to agree with your choice = your own 15k barrel!

Moving on, though it was hard, I was in the mood for Bourbon and quickly found a Las Vegas based distiller, Smoke Wagon Bourbon. I enjoyed all three bottles they poured, and could see why they had won several gold and double gold medals at the San Francisco Wine and Spirits Competition.

Alpine Distilling, located in Park City, Utah, was a surprise for me. The botanicals in their “Summit Gin” slayed me. Now I just have to figure out how to get it from Utah here in So Cal! Also of note for me was their “Spur” Whiskey.

Then I got very much side-tracked by That Boutique-Y Whisky Company. I tasted everything in their line-up. Completely blown away with whiskeys from Japan, So. Africa and England. I think there were a dozen I tried, and a few in the back I got my hands on too. If you ever have an opportunity to taste this whisky brand don’t miss it.

The Scotch Whisky Syndicate 58/6 was a new thrill for me to taste, according to their Facebook page it is “an award-winning 12 Year Old specialist Blended Scotch Whisky, finished in Sherry butts for a distinctly richer fruity character.”

Glenfiddich had 12, 14 and 15 year olds, but I went straight to the 21 year old – as I had visited the distillery in Scotland and had done more than my fair share there. (If you ever get to Scotland don’t skip Glenfiddich – very generous pours. And while you’re at it reserve your kilted driver, aka tour operator, via Rabbie’s.)

I definitely had to stop at the Dewars’s blended Scotch whisky table, as Brand Ambassador Georgie Bell had made me a fan at a past Universal Whisky Experience event where we tasted through all of the single malts that go into Dewar’s. This year I sampled 21, 27 and 32 year olds, all “double double aged for ultimate smoothness.”

Had to taste from Westward American Single Malt Whiskey…when whisky pal and leader of the So Cal Whiskey Club Ries Michael manned the booth.

Finally, I’d like to give a special shout out and thanks to founder Mahesh Patel and organizer Mit Patel, can’t imagine anyone else pulling anything like this off but the Patels and their team.

More Brands Seen at the Show (keep in mind that each of these brands had several pours.)

Macallan

Old Pulteney

John Craggie

Glencairn Crystal (Great nosing glass!)

The Dalmore

Highland Park and Glenrothes

Johnnie Walker

Tomatin

Total Wine

Benromach

Gordon and MacPhail

Facundo Rum

John Dewar Malts

Hardy

Borderies Cognac

Suntory Whiskey

Whistle Pig

Sazerac Rye

Glenfarclas

Dictator

Royal Salute

The Glenlivet

Aberlour

Loch Lomond

The Balvenie

And even though I was lucky enough to be featured in the 2019 Facebook banner ad and don’t expect the honor again, I will be stalking the website and Facebook pages listed below to see if the event photographers caught me “in the act” of having the time of our lives. See you in 2020!

https://universalwhiskyexperience.com/

https://www.facebook.com/universalwhisky/

https://www.instagram.com/universalwhisky/

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 15k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Down East Lobster Roll World Championship Hosts Competitors from around the World

May 28, 2018 by evebushman

PORTLAND, Maine – Maine has popularized their famous lobster roll and now great recipes and talented chefs are making lobster rolls everywhere. Attendees of the Down EastLobster Roll World Championship will be able to sample rolls from 10 chefs across the United States and from around the World.

While half of the recipes selected for this year’s contest are from Maine, there are also entries from Massachusetts, Florida, Georgia and even Paris, France. Freshie’s Lobster Company from Park City, Utah is returning this year to defend its title as the first winner of the championship. Besides Freshie’s, two of last year’s participants, Bob’s Clam Hut of Kittery and Portland and Highroller Lobster Company of Portland will try for the top prize again.

Seven entries are new to the competition. Three are from Maine: Shannon’s Unshelled from Boothbay Harbor, The Greeks of Peaks from Portland, and Congdon’s Doughnuts of Wells.

Summer Shack of Cambridge, Massachusetts, BeetleCat of Atlanta, Georgia, and the Burgundy Square Café of Venice, Florida, add to the national flavor of the event. And all the way from Paris, France, Homer Lobster will bring its recipe for the judges to consider.

“Not only are the rolls from all over the U. S. and even Europe, but also each competitor’s roll is unique,” said Lauren Chartier, Marketing and Events Coordinator for Down EastMagazine. “Without giving too much away, there will be some different variations of the traditional Maine lobster roll and there are a few that even challenge the definition of a lobster roll. I’m excited to see who wins over the attendees.”

To watch the video announcement please visit–Down East Lobster Roll World Championship Competitors Announced

The judging will take place on July 7 at Brick South at Thompson’s Point in Portland. All event attendees will sample the 10 rolls and vote for their favorite. The winner with the most votes will receive the title of world champion and will be featured on a page in Down Eastmagazine.

The top prize of $1000 will go to the world champion. Second prize is $500, and third prize is $250.

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit https://downeast.com/lobsterroll/

Questions can be emailed to events@downeast.com.

Media Contact: Angie Helton, angie@nemediaassociates.comor 207-653-0365

Event Coordinator: Lauren Chartier, Down East Magazine, lchartier@downeast.comor 207-594-9544 ext. 448

About Down East Enterprise:

Down East Enterprise, Inc., is a multimedia company based in Camden, Maine. The company’s flagship publication, Down East: The Magazine of Maine,is the largest paid-circulation magazine dedicated to the Pine Tree State. A digital version of Down Eastwas launched in February 2013. For nearly six decades, Down Easthas been the authority on Maine, and today continues to capture the reader’s attention with an insider look at contemporary life in Maine. People who love Maine love Down East.

Down East currently publishes Shooting Sportsman, the world’s largest magazine dedicated to wingshooting and fine guns, in addition to Down East. Down East also produces websites, mobile apps, and video programming via the Down East Channel.

Single Malt Whiskey by Alpine Distilling Named a Top American Malt Whiskey

March 21, 2018 by evebushman

PARK CITY, Utah (PRWEB) – The Fifty Best, an online guide that rates the finest wines and spirits, recently hosted an American Malt Whiskey Tasting of 20 products evaluated for the distinguished “Best American Malt Whiskey” awards for 2018.
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Alpine Distilling’s Traveler’s Rest American Single Malt Whiskey was awarded a Double Gold medal, the highest honor. The Park City, Utah-based craft distillery was founded in 2016.

Mountain Ridges Behind Snowbird and Alta

Using professional criteria, the pre-qualified panel of judges blind-tasted the American malt whiskies and rated them individually on a 1 to 5 point scoring system with five being the best. After tallying the scores, medals were awarded based on the judges’ impressions.

“We are honored to have Traveler’s Rest Single Malt receive such high accolades from experts in various disciplines of the spirits industry,” says Rob Sergent, Alpine Distilling’s managing director. “Alpine Distilling is committed to producing the finest spirits using traditional distilling techniques to create distinctive flavor combinations.”

To create this rich, nutty single malt whiskey, North American high protein, high enzyme 100% malted barley is aged first in used Jack Daniels barrels and finished with new, toasted French Oak.

Additional, award-winning craft spirits from Alpine Distilling include Lafayette Spiced Flavored Whiskey, Preserve Liqueur, Persistent Vodka, and Spur Whiskey.

TheFiftyBest.com is a digital guide to wines and spirits, featuring rated listings from proprietary blind tastings judged by wine and spirits journalists, spirits professionals, retailers, mixologists, spirits consultants and connoisseurs. The Fifty Best achieves the highest standards of spirits evaluations by adhering to strict tasting rules and rigorous methodology.

ABOUT ALPINE DISTILLING

Founded in 2016, Alpine Distilling is an award-winning craft distillery based in Park City, Utah. We produce the highest quality premium spirits for the active, creative, and mindful individuals who are drawn to the mountain lifestyle. All products are certified Kosher.
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As a socially conscious brand, Alpine Distilling is pleased to donate a portion of proceeds to benefit local non-profits Park City Community Foundation and Swaner Nature Preserve. More information is available at http://www.alpinedistilling.com.

High West Distillery: A Taste Treat for the Brown Spirit Lover, and the Food to Go With It

January 27, 2017 by evebushman

When we planned a skiing vacation in Park City we had been warned that drinking in Utah would be problematic, most of which I knew from my American Wines certification course. One friend went so far to say that the cocktails are watered down, stick to the wine. (Want to cut to the chase? Story in photos here.)
But we happily discovered that yes, many of the bars in Park City can make a decent – and well above that – cocktail. For this article I will stick to the one I reviewed: High West Distillery. I sampled some of their single spirits, bottled barrel-finished cocktails and even managed to try a couple of cocktails.

We also enjoyed lots of “comfort food”, as one guest called it, which was served up in several welcoming rooms encompassing three floors of the Saloon location. Our server, Jessica, was extremely helpful in guiding us to the favorites of the menu. We wanted to try many of the mouth-watering dishes and the ones we did have notes in italics.

High West Saloon Menu Highlights

Bacon and Cashew Caramel Popcorn, BBQ Dusted Potato Chips, Pretzel and Beer Cheese (whiskey was also in the cheese, so good!), then onto Braised Beef Short Rib (hubby had that, very tender), Chicken Pot Pie, House Smoked Salmon, Lamb Stew, Chicken Schnitzel (with a wonderful lemon-caper sauce I loved!), Mac and Cheese, Sweet Potato Mash, Wild Berry Cobbler, S’More, Butterscotch Budino, Chocolate Manhattan Mousse (of course we couldn’t resist this one! Loved the “Swiss dark chocolate, High West Barrel-Aged Manhattan, Honey Brittle” and it was the perfect finish to our evening…though we fought over the last mouthful.

The Brown Spirits

(Note on the serving of cocktails in Utah, from The Guardian, “Cocktails can only have 1.5 fl oz. of a primary liquor. Secondary alcohol “flavourings” can be added but can’t exceed 2.5 fl oz. of total booze. Mixologists have to be creative in Utah. They can’t just load up the glass with booze (as in a Long Island Iced Tea). It’s truly a work of art to see what some bartenders are able to do around here with these restrictions. Read more here.)

Spirit Tasting (my notes are in italics)

We started with a flight of the four “core products” that included:

American Prairie Bourbon

Blend of 2 to 13 year old straight bourbons.

“High West pledges to donate 10% of our after tax profits from the sale of this bottle to the American Prairie Reserve”

Smooth, smoky and low on the harsh levels.

Double Rye

Blend of 2+ year-old rye.

Traditional flavor, nice and creamy.

Rendezvous Rye

Blend of 6 to 16 year old straight rye whiskeys.

Very balanced, with a golden delicious apple flavor that really popped.

Campfire

Blend of 5-year-old whiskeys; Bourbon, Rye and Blended Malt Whiskey

Had it all: smoke, caramel and peat. Well done!

Then we couldn’t resist a taste of this one based on Jessica’s recommendation as a not to be missed:

BourRye

Blend of bourbon and rye

A favorite at the saloon; with flavors of honey and caramel.

Bottled Barrel-Aged Cocktails and Created Cocktails

We tasted:

Boulevardier is on the right…and it was my favorite.

The Barreled Boulevardier

Bourbon, Vya brand sweet vermouth and Gran Classico bitter amaro is blended in American oak Bourbon barrels until the distiller has deemed it ready for bottling. This was my personal cocktail favorite, it was unique to anything I’ve had…and I’ve had a lot! If you are a brown spirit fan you’ve got to seek this one out. The menu describes a grapefruit component that was really interesting.

36^th Vote Barreled Manhattan

The “36” is a nod to Utah being the deciding vote to end prohibition. It’s basically two parts Double Rye Whiskey, one part sweet vermouth, and two dashes of Angostura bitters for every 2.5 ounce serving. It rests in a 2-year-old rye whiskey barrel for 120 days before bottling. Classic aroma and flavor of a Manhattan, but with a nice bite to it. Very pleasant.

Cocktails (we only had one each as these were not tastes)

GOLD, GLORY & GOD “American Prairie Bourbon, PX Sherry, Oloroso Sherry, Punt e Mes, Allspice Dram”

I loved this cocktail, difficult to describe but like the Boulevardier, it had some unique qualities for me.

Old Fashioned Old Fashioned

Traditional flavors with the addition of cinnamon.

Final note: There is an extensive cocktail, wine, bubbles, beer, single malt and additional spirits list, on the backside of the dining menu and in a separate menu. So if your palate desires something different than what we sampled, you are covered. There is also a “general store” where you can purchase their spirits and other merchandise. We checked on the two bottled barrel aged cocktails we really liked and found that we could purchase in L.A.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com