The Chocolate Boulevard

After enjoying a tasty Boulevardier, I asked myself what could make it better. And the answer? Chocolate. Of course. 

And what better chocolate to add than Ballotin's Original Chocolate Whiskey. While I love all their products, the Original Chocolate stands in well for creme de cacao and other chocolate flavored liquors (as long as it's not a lighter colored cocktail). 

I wanted to take the edge of the Campari off by dialing down the bitterness with an Aperol substitution and added Scrappy's chocolate bitters to enhance the depth of the chocolate flavors. For this particular cocktail, the chocolate bitters needed to be dark and well-rounded. More fudge brownie than chocolate syrup.

So I give you a sweeter take on the Boulevardier. Maybe I should have called it the Wonka Boulevard.

The Chocolate Boulevard
1 oz Ballotin Original Chocolate Whiskey
1 oz Aperol
1 oz Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth
15 drops Scrappy's Chocolate bitters
Garnish: cherry

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass and full with ice. Stir until well-chilled and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an excellent cherry and enjoy.