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The Boulevardier — a cocktail created by Erskine Gwynne, a magazine publisher who christened the drink after his magazine aimed at expats residing in Paris in the 1920s — initially was a blend of bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth. Over time, the recipe has evolved to sometimes substitute the bourbon with another variety of whiskey: rye.

This cocktail will taste delightful either way, but there is a specific argument to be made for preferring rye whiskey. Rye whiskey is going to contain a higher percentage of, well, rye — by law, rye whiskey has to consist of at least 51% rye grain (when it’s produced in America) — which will add a depth of flavor to the cocktail, due to rye’s flavor profiles of spice and herb. Furthermore, rye whiskey is less sweet than bourbon, so if you’re not a fan of sweeter cocktails, opting for rye whiskey is definitely the right choice.

Given that rye and bourbon both fall under the umbrella oftypes of whiskey, what differentiates them essentially boils down to the specifics of the distilling procedure. As mentioned earlier, rye whiskey should be made up of at least 51% rye grain — which aligns with its name. Conversely, bourbon must be distilled in the United States and has to be made with a fermented mash (which refers to cooked grains combined with yeast) that is 51% corn.

Besides the makeup, the two types of whiskey have a lot in common. For instance, they both require to be bottled at a bare minimum of 40% ABV (alcohol by volume) and not more than 80% ABV. They can even have similar tastes if the bourbon has a high percentage of rye. In light of this, if you desire the taste of rye in your Boulevardier, but, for some reason, can’t lay hands on rye whiskey at your nearby liquor store, you can simply opt for bourbon with a high rye percentage to achieve a similar result.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.