Mixology at Home - Boulevardier
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - We once again pay tribute to a pioneer in America’s whiskey trade, Nathan “Nearest” Green.
You could claim that America would not have Jack Daniels whiskey if it wasn’t for Green. As a slave, he taught a young Jack Daniels how to distill whiskey and later, when Daniels launched his distillery, Nearest became its first master distiller.
Green is credited with inventing the sugar maple charcoal filtering method used to make most Tennessee whiskey today. Unfortunately, his distilling skills were not recognized until 2017 when he was reintroduced through a distillery named for him ... Uncle Nearest. It was founded by a Black woman named Fawn Weaver. By the way, the Uncle Nearest master distiller is a descendant of Green’s, Victoria Early Butler.
Today, African Americans are still under-represented in the whiskey and bourbon industry but that might be changing. Ebony.com has a list of seven black-owned bourbon and whiskey brands you should check out. They range in price from around $30 to $80 so they are affordable. Uncle Nearest is on that list and is moderately priced.
Now, in honor of Green, we have a drink from Uncle Nearest to share with you, the classic Boulevardier. It first appeared at a Paris bar in the 1920s but disappeared from popularity for some time before being rediscovered.
In a mixing glass with ice, add one and a half ounces of Uncle Nearest 1856, three-fourths of an ounce of sweet vermouth, and Campari, stir to chill, and strain into a coupe or rocks glass. With or without ice, your choice. Use an orange peel or twist for garnish.
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