High West Wednesdays: Strawberry Boulevardier

A surprisingly simple sipper, inspired by backpacking

Jump to the recipe.

Our next cocktail adventure with High West celebrates starting in one place and ending up somewhere completely different. The Strawberry Boulevardier (pronounced BOOL-vahr-dee-AY) takes you on the best kind of journey, and it’s inspired by the flow state of mile after mile on a backpacking trail. It echoes the rhythm of hiking poles and footsteps as metronome and losing yourself in the experience as melody. It’s the slippage of time, the world passing in a blur of ridgeline and river crossing and sunset that’s somehow the most present you’ve felt in a season.
 
This cocktail stretches a single sip into something you want to experience for an eternity—velvet on the tongue, a soft melding of round, sweet fruit followed by warming spice. Like waking up with the sunrise and settling in for the night just after the sun tucks below the horizon. Or like summer on the valley floor and the crisp call of approaching autumn above tree line. In other words, a sensory symphony worth savoring. Let’s get into it!
 
The whiskey compliment to the Negroni, the boulevardier is a cocktail drinker’s cocktail that elegantly highlights the base spirit. While the Negroni showcases crisp and verdant gin, the boulevardier exhibits whiskey and bourbon like a dream. The base of High West’s take on this American classic is their Bourbon, a high-rye mash bill spirit with an oaken toffee flavor profile that packs a surprisingly spicy punch. In addition to sweet vermouth, a splash of infused Campari and Cappalletti gives this drink a hit of tart-yet-bitter complexity.
 
To achieve this cocktail’s soft and sweet finish, we craft an infusion of equal parts Campari and Cappelletti with strawberries. These Italian aperitifs share a ruby-red color, but where Campari offers a vibrant, unmistakable bitterness, Cappelletti features a sweeter, more citrusy profile. The addition of strawberries evokes wild trail-side flora and a subtle tinge of fading summer in this otherwise warming autumnal quaff. While you could easily skip the infusion step and stick with plain Campari, planning ahead makes the experience all the more satisfying, just like precisely measuring out each day’s snacks for a backpacking trip. The end result is citrusy and sweet, bitter yet refined. Perfect to finish off the Strawberry Boulevardier. 

Ingredients

For the strawberry-infused aperitif (makes enough for around 10 cocktails*):
6.5 oz Campari
 
6.5 oz Cappelletti
 
3.5 oz frozen strawberries
 
Or 1 cup fresh strawberries
 
For one Strawberry Boulevardier (makes one cocktail):
1 oz High West Bourbon
 
0.75 oz Sweet vermouth
 
0.75 oz Strawberry-infused aperitif**
 
Lemon peel for garnish
 


* This recipe reserves some base spirits for your bar cart, but for a larger yield you can increase the recipe as follows: 1 750ml bottle of Campari, 1 750ml bottle of Cappelletti, and 1 14oz bag of frozen strawberries.
 
** Straight Campari can be used in place of the strawberry-infused aperitif for a standard Boulevardier.

Instructions

Prepare the strawberry-infused aperitif a day in advance.

1. Add frozen strawberries (or chopped fresh strawberries) into a mason jar or other glass vessel.
2. Top with equal parts Campari and Cappelletti.
3. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours, or until desired flavor is achieved.
4. With a fine mesh sieve, strain the strawberries.
5. Pour into a glass bottle or jar. Keep refrigerated and use within two weeks for optimal flavor.

Make the Boulevardier.

1. Add High West Bourbon, sweet vermouth, and strawberry-infused aperitif to a rocks glass.
2. Add ice—a single 1x1 cube or large sphere is preferred for optimal dilution.
3. Briskly stir.
4. Express and garnish with lemon peel. (For tips on expressing citrus, check out our Campfire Old Fashioned recipe!)

The next time you hit the trail, we hope your miles are as effortless as enjoying this stunning cocktail on a fall evening. As always, this recipe is a template that’s yours to experiment with. We know our next hike will be filled with ideas of what to infuse our aperitivo with next. Coffee, anyone?

Words by Alli Wright, who joined the Backcountry Herd in 2022. A climber, trail runner, and backcountry skier, she can be found in a hammock with a book or planning a crafternoon when she’s not chasing vert. 

Recipe designed by Holly Booth, High West’s Lead Bartender. While she’s primarily a whiskey drinker, she loves their Mountain Gin, too.

Published November 3, 2025.

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