Inspiration came from Steve the Bartender Chocolate Boulevardier The Boulevardier, the whisk(e)y 🥃 cousin of the Negroni. The original recipe Chocolate Boulevardier Steve showed calls for Mr Black Coffee Amaro and cacao infused Campari. Steve offered recommendations for the Amaro including sweet vermouth. Well I had an idea 💡 For both the chocolate and the coffee let’s use bitters. And I don’t mean 1-2 dashes. I mean a barspoon (5ml) !!! As for the whisky I reached for a whisky 🥃 that contains chocolate malt, bringing more coffee and dark chocolate depth. The aroma while stirring was similar to grinding espresso beans while visiting the barrel house of a distillery. 🤤 And the colour, silky crimson red. The cacao, coffee and toasted oak aroma continues once poured. The flavours burst of dark chocolate covered berries, espresso ☕️ , burnt orange, almost burnt toffee, chocolate ganache, heavy red wine 🍷, oak/cedar, earl grey tea, leather. The finish is bittersweet with lingering Campari coffee and chocolate 😋 You can start with your favourite boulevardier and add 1 dash of each bitters until you get the desired profile. If your sweet vermouth if not sweet enough half a barspoon of simple syrup can help. Worth experimenting !!! Chocolate Boulevardier no 2 1 oz (30ml) Chocolate Malt Whisky 1 oz (30ml) Sweet Vermouth 1 oz (30ml) Campari 1 barspoon (5ml) Coffee Bitters 1 barspoon (5ml) Chocolate Bitters

Recipe crafted from recipes found on various sites without any definitive creator. Even before looking I was thinking of a Negroni subbing Pineau for the sweet vermouth. Subbing sweet vermouth is an easy way to use Pineau. After some web sleuthing and how various recipes were constructed I ended up also subbing the bitter aperitif with a local clear amaro. Being slightly sweeter using less Pineau des Charente to start allows to dial the sweetness and flavour profile. I went with just a hair over 1/2 oz 15ml. The his was a well constructed Negroni with layers of flavours. defined brandy notes, orange pith, grape skins, gin botanicals, wormwood, gentian, dried plums, with a fruity bitter finish. 😋 Pineau Negroni 1 oz (30ml) Gin 1 oz (30ml) Pineau Des Charente ½-¾ oz (15-22.5ml) Aperol/Campari/Clear Amaro Dehydrated Orange Wheel

Recipe found in David Lebovitz Drinking French book 📖 Meant to be served up, it screamed to me for a tropical dressing using a tiki style tumbler. Pineapple 🍍 front and centre with gong and sweet vermouth backdrop. The Campari added a nice bitterness lightening the overall libation and lingering with the pineapple for several seconds in the aftertaste. 😋 As I sipped it popped into my head this could be a gin version of the Jungle Bird. For some reason this thought further enhanced the enjoyment of the drink. A Is For Ananas 1 oz (30ml) Dry Gin 1 oz (30ml) Pineapple Juice ¾ oz (22.5 ml) Sweet Vermouth ¾ oz (22.5ml) Campari Fresh Mint

Recipe found in Clapham Cocktails The Dubonnet Cocktail Book 📕 Recipe calls for lingonberry syrup/jelly, which I subbed for a more local (aka easier to get) Saskatoon Berry. This brought crabapple, almond, blueberry 🫐 flavours. Another option would be cranberry. So even if you are missing one ingredient there are alternatives which will still result in a great cocktail. As for the bourbon 🥃 I reached for a local whisky made with 8 grains bringing a nice depth of complex flavours. The first sip was a pleasant toast and jam profile. Further sips had the baking and grain spices, woody oak, leather, bitter berries, blanched walnuts, with a long finish of mulled wine and berries. Through it all the jammy profile never disappears 😋 1886 Cocktail 2 oz (60ml) Bourbon 1 oz (30ml) Dubonnet Barspoon Lingonberry Syrup Dash Boker’s Bitters

Recipe found on Difford Guide Sage is growing faster than we can use, even in the cooler weather. Sure the ask for a sprig of sage for the garnish was likely 2-3 leaves, but I decided to go overboard. 😂 The libation is exactly as the name implies. A tart, layered citrus flavours from pith, oil, juices. Spiced with gin, mint and vanilla beans. Though the sage adds aroma near the end it had imparted some flavour to the cocktail. A very refreshing drink 😋 The Lemon Peel 1.5 oz (45ml) Dry Gin ½ oz (15ml) Limoncello ¼ oz (7.5ml) Liquore Strega ¾ oz (22.5ml) Grapefruit Juice ¾ oz (22.5ml) Fresh Lemon Juice ¼ oz (7.5ml) Rich Simple Syrup 1 dash Orange Bitters Garnish Sage Sprig