Professional

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (12 ratings)

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
1 12 oz Bourbon whiskey
1 oz Strucchi Red Bitter (Campari-style liqueur)
12 oz Jamaican-style overproof aged pot still rum
14 oz Chilled water optional
3 drop Saline solution 4:1 (20g sea salt to 80g water)
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

  1. Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of grapefruit zest twist.

How to make:

  1. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. STRAIN into ice-filled glass.

Garnish:

  1. EXPRESS grapefruit zest twist over cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 9/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 9/10

Review:

The Boulevardier goes nuclear. I discovered this cocktail thanks to J. E. Clapham of Clapham Cocktails, who says, "This is truly excellent, though it does need crafty dilution and the wallop of Smith & Cross for the full effect." I agree, hence the added optional splash of cold water.

View readers' comments

History:

Adapted from a recipe created circa 2010 by Benjamin Schwartz at Little Branch in Manhattan, New York City. Benjamin's original recipe calls for 57% alc./vol. Old Grand-Dad and overproof Jamaican rum.

Nutrition:

One serving of Professional contains 228 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 2.1 standard drinks
  • 29.66% alc./vol. (29.66° proof)
  • 28.9 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

Join the discussion

Showing 4 comments for Professional.
See discussion in the Forum

Please log in to make a comment
Chris Brislawn’s Avatar Chris Brislawn
3 hours ago
I usually make Boulevardiers with 2:1:1 proportions so The Professional has twice as much high-proof base liquor to flavorants; the last thing it needs is 114-proof bourbon! In the absence of any vermouth I used Martini & Rossi Riserva Speciale Bitter for its extra complexity and "roundness" compared to Campari, which was good here. The Smith & Cross really adds a distinctive flavor that makes this differ markedly from other Boulevardier variants.
9 hours ago
I'm trying to restrict my imbibing to every 3rd day (although I just sipped a caballito of tequila Ocho blanco... I must fudge a tad!) but am anxious to try this recipe.

I don't dream of whiskies like some do, but love 8-10 whisky cocktails. The Vieux Carre' is my recent fav.

I have all the ingredients above (even fresh grapefruit) substituting Don Q 151 & WILL add the .25oz H²O... can't wait!
Calvin Grant’s Avatar Calvin Grant
19th August at 02:05
OMG can't wait to try this! Must do some shopping first.
Calvin Grant’s Avatar Calvin Grant
4 hours ago
Meh. Was hoping this would be a Boulevardier I could really get behind. Guess a Boulevardier is just not my thing. Stocked up on Smith & Cross and a brand new bottle of Old Grand Dad 114 (not bad stuff). Recommended .
15th August at 22:31
I really enjoy the Boulevardier so this recipe caught my eye. I used Bulleit bourbon, Blackwell's and Campari. I slightly oversalted (1 teaspoon solution). To remedy, I added a drizzle more water and rum. That calmed things down but, however palatable, this doesn't significantly improve on a Boulevardier. But ... I learned about saline and about water and I now have more decent rum in my cabinet so I'm looking on the upside.