Live the Live ™

I’ve always loved Manhattans and Negronis…two different cocktails, yet similar in certain respects. Both use sweet vermouth. Both have a touch of bitterness: Manhattans will often include a few dashes of angostura bitters, where a Negroni gets its bitterness from Campari. So when I visited Food Network chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s The Lambs Club restaurant in NYC a few years ago, and tasted my first Boulevardier, I was instantly hooked.

Loosely translated, a boulevardier is a “man about town.”

Add some ice to a cocktail shaker. Add the ingredients and stir. Strain into a rocks glass with a large cube.

Perfection.

Eagle Rare bourbon: Everyone has their favorite bourbon, and I really enjoy this 10-year-old, because it mixes well and, at about $32 a bottle, is extremely affordable. Made by the Buffalo Trace distillery, who can pretty much do no wrong.

Campari: A liqueur, invented in 1860 by Gaspare Campari, considered an aperitif. Its alcohol content depends on the country it’s sold in. It’s unique bitter flavor is obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit in alcohol and water.

Carpano Antica Formula: First invented in 1786 in Turin by Antonio Benedetto Carpano, it has survived in its original recipe thanks to the Fratelli Branca Distillerie. It costs more than the typical 5-buck bottle of vermouth, because it’s simply the best you can get. Buy it once and you’ll never buy another sweet vermouth again.