Quick take: pair a Boulevardier cocktail with a Soumaintrain cheese
In our cheese + cocktail pairing project, I’m combining my cocktail know-how with the encyclopedic cheese knowledge of Jennifer Greco of Chez Loulou. We’re delivering a series of classic cocktail and cheese pairings.
Our November pairing: Boulevardier cocktail & Soumaintrain cheese
Notes, discoveries and tips worth sharing:
- In addition to the Soumaintrain, we also found the Saint-Jacques à la sauge and Mont Vully noir paired nicely with the cocktail. Other cheeses we tried but wouldn’t pair up with the drink again: Cabotin, Rocamadour, Escadut, le Randonneur, Vieux Mimolette, and Régalis.
- There’s a lot of debate on whether to serve this drink up or on the rocks. An unofficial Facebook poll, had the two neck and neck in terms of voter preferences. While I normally go up, we found both ways of serving it had advantages.
- Serve it up if you’re treating it like the Manhattan’s sassier cousin, maybe as an aperitif. Garnish preference also varied for up versions but I liked a cherry plus a lemon zest to brighten things up. For up, I preferred a version with the campari and vermouth dialed back a bit, while Jennifer preferred the slightly more bitter version. (both recipes below)
- Serve it on the rocks if you’re treating it like the Negroni’s autumnal cousin. We both found the rocks recipe below to be the best balanced. Use Rittenhouse 100 in this one as it stands up to the other ingredients in this equal parts version of the recipe.
- We also put a bottled version of the Boulevardier from Balbine spirits into the mix. Once it dilutes a bit there is almost a honeyed tea flavour that comes out, which will make this a nice version for summer months. This particular one paired nicely with the 34 – 36 month Comté.
Boulevardier Recipe w/ Bourbon Up (bitter version)
45ml Bourbon (we used Heaven Hill)
30ml sweet vermouth
30ml Campari
orange peel to garnish
Stir all over ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Boulevardier Recipe w/ Bourbon Up (boozier version)
60ml Rye (we used Four Roses)
30ml sweet vermouth
30ml Campari
lemon peel to garnish
Stir all over ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass with preserved cherry in bottom. Express lemon over top.
Boulevardier Recipe w/ Rye on a Rock (balanced version)
30ml Rittenhouse Rye 100
30ml sweet vermouth
30ml Campari
Pour over large ice block, stir and garnish with an orange zest.
If you’re here I already know you like cocktails. But, if you want to learn more about these or other cheeses, I recommend some time on Jennifer’s blog and Instagram or signing up for one of her cheese workshops with Paris by Mouth.
Up next month: What Cheese to Pair with the Last Word cocktail?
