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  • ร—
    Urban Bliss Life ยป All Recipes ยป Cocktails ยป Boulevardier and Aviation Cocktail Recipes

    Published: January 21, 2015 / Updated: May 5, 2022 by Marlynn Jayme Schotland ยท This post may contain affiliate links.

    Boulevardier and Aviation Cocktail Recipes

    I'm dating myself, but to this day, when I think of fancy cocktails and mixologists, I think of the 1988 movie Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise as Brian Flanagan, a showy bartender (look it up here, young friends). Maybe because it was the first time I saw anyone mixing up cocktails (I was an innocent non-drinking teen, after all), and it set the tone for what I believed thereafter all cocktails should be: creative, inventive, sexy, fun, daring.

    Fast forward to present day. While I have no fear of experimenting in the kitchen and love a good food challenge, I step back and let everyone else make the cocktails. It's never been my thing. I don't know about bitters and liqueur combos and whatnot. I'm no Brian Flanagan.

    But, I do enjoy a good creative cocktail, and was absolutely thrilled when I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to get a very special, one-on-one cocktail making lesson from one of the nation's best mixologists, Juyoung Kang, when I was in Las Vegas.

    She gave me and my friends some fantastic cocktail tips, which I am excited to share here, along with a couple of cocktail recipes Kang serves up at BLVD Cocktail Company in the LINQ.

    Las Vegas Mixologist Juyoung Kang

    BLVD Cocktail Company Mixology  Juyoung Kang

    Juyoung Kang is a rising Master Mixologist star with 15 years experience in the business. A Philadelphia native, before joining BLVD Cocktail Company in Las Vegas, Kang worked at The Peninsula Hotel Beverly Hills, Thompson Hotels Beverly Hills, Comme Ca Las Vegas, Commonwealth and the Laundry Room. She also has been crowned Las Vegas’ Most Imaginative Bartender by Bombay Sapphire.

    In person, Kang is everything you want a bartender to be: witty, sharp, friendly, an engaging conversationalist, and lightning fast behind the bar. I swear we would be talking and all of a sudden: poof! Drinks would appear before us. We didn't even see her making some of the drinks.

    Juyoung Kang BLVD Cocktail Company Mixology

    Bartenders are, after all, magicians. "Good bartenders need to be two things," Kang says. "you need to be a people person, and you need to be a teacher." Kang says she is always learning, and has learned from mixologists like Sam Ross of New York bars Milk & Honey and Attaboy.

    Kang is both a people person, and a great teacher. My friends and I learned so much from her in less than a couple of hours.

    BLVD Cocktail Company Mixology

    She started off by giving us some quick tips and then helping us each make a cocktail along with her. She was incredibly patient, and I love how, while she explained each step, she shared why we were doing things a certain way or using specific bar tools.

    Juyoung Kang BLVD Cocktail Company Mixology

    I'm a far cry from being any sort of bartender (I think pouring a glass of wine will always be my signature bar talent), but now I am armed with some fantastic tricks to help step up my cocktail making game at home.

    Cocktail-making tips

    Here are some of the top tidbits I learned from Juyoung Kang:

    • When stirring cocktails, use a julep strainer to pour the drink into a glass.
    • When making a drink that is shaken, use a martini strainer to pour the drink into a glass.
    • A very skilled bartender should be able to make about four drinks in seven minutes.
    • Stir drinks before adding ice to get a good balance of the liqueurs without the drink getting too boozy.
    • Add ice at the end to avoid watering down your drinks.
    • If you're not familiar with cocktail names or are just not sure what you want to drink, describe the type of taste or the type of ingredients you prefer. The bartender should be able to make you a drink that matches your taste description.
    BLVD Cocktail Company Mixology

    Cocktail recipes

    The traditional Boulevardier is made with bourbon and Campari. However, Kang says that while Campari is a common drink ingredient in Europe, it can be a tough flavor for many Americans. To make it more accessible, she makes the Boulevard(ier) at BLVD. Cocktail Company with a brandied cherry liqueur.

    BLVD Cocktail Company Mixology

    Boulevardier

    I'm a whiskey and bourbon fan, so I love this cocktail.

    • 1 ounce Templeton Rye Whiskey
    • 1 ounce Brandied Cherry
    • 1 ounce Chocolate Bitters

    Combine ingredients, stir, and strain into a glass. Garnish with an orange peel and Maraschino cherry.

    BLVD Cocktail Company Mixology

    Aviation cocktail recipe

    This classic Prohibition-era cocktail isn't for everyone, but if you like gin with a twist of a little somethin' somethin', then this is for you.

    2 ounces gin
    1 ounce lemon juice
    1 ounce Luxardo
    2 bar spoons of Creme de Violette

    More cocktails

    While there, Kang also expertly made a Lavender Slip (Blueberry Vodka, Lavender, Lemon, Herb Sprig) and The Showgirl (Citroen Vodka, Strawberries, Lemon, Sparkling Asti) for us.

    BLVD Cocktail Company Mixology
    BLVD Cocktail Company Mixology
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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Geoff says

        January 24, 2015 at 8:55 am

        This almost makes me wish I hadn't given up drinking.

        Almost.

        Reply
      2. kelsey says

        January 22, 2015 at 7:21 am

        awesome recipes! i want all of those cocktails!
        ladies in navy

        Reply
      3. Catherine says

        January 21, 2015 at 8:25 pm

        Pouring a beer is my bar talentโ€”it drives me batty when people mispour, giving me a glass full of foamโ€”and I leave the cocktails to professional bartenders. These look good though!

        Reply
      4. Kira says

        January 21, 2015 at 2:46 pm

        I rarely drink, but that class still sounds so fun!

        Reply
      5. nourished roots says

        January 21, 2015 at 10:30 am

        What a great experience! I am totally jealous.

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          January 21, 2015 at 1:29 pm

          It was an incredible experience!

      6. Kayla says

        January 21, 2015 at 1:12 pm

        Jon and I are going back to Vegas in March - we will have to try this place out! I've ALWAYS wanted to go to a cocktail making class/lesson!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          January 21, 2015 at 1:30 pm

          Fun! You should definitely check out BLVD Cocktail Company! They don't offer this cocktail making experience as a regular service, but you should go for drinks and enjoy their live music while making your way down the strip. So much fun!

      7. Bill Volckening says

        January 21, 2015 at 9:26 am

        How divine!

        It's 5 o'clock somewhere. :)

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          January 21, 2015 at 1:28 pm

          Yes it is, Bill! I like the way you think :)

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      Marlynn Jayme Schotland 2021 profile pic

      Hi! If you're looking for easy, fast, delicious family-friendly recipes, wine pairings, and travel tips, you've come to the right place! I'm Marlynn - a cookbook author, writer, photographer, and mom of two teenagers + a lovable lab retriever. I hold a WSET 2 with Distinction in wine, and am a member of Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

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