Two-hundred and thirteen years ago today, a British general died fighting alongside hundreds of Brits, and a few hundred Indigenous soldiers in one of the key battles to prevent the US from capturing what would become Canada.

Coincidentally, Canada celebrates Thanksgiving around this time, and this year I crafted a local cocktail recipe to honour the region and those who fought to protect it.

Brock's Boulevardier builds on the classic Boulevardier, substituting a Niagara rye whisky and a sweet vermouth made about 30 km away from where the battle took place. For a final touch, a blood orange is used to mark the sacrifice that helped make a country.

Brock's Boulevardier

Ingredients

(Ratio is 3:2:1.5 of Dillon's rye:Campari:Dillon's sweet vermouth)

750mL bottle

• 300 mL Dillon's rye whisky
• 200 mL Campari
• 150 mL Dillon's sweet vermouth
• 13 dashes Angostura

Single drink

• 45 mL Dillon’s rye,
• 30 mL Campari,
• 22 mL Dillon’s weet vermouth,
• 2 dashes Angostura.

Method

1. For the bottle:
   1. Combine everything in a 750 mL bottle (about 70 mL headroom). Cap it, tip it gently to mix, and chill in the freezer or fridge for about 20 hours.
2. For a single serving:
   1. Combine everything in a chilled mixing container, stir.
3. Pour a generous serving over one large ice cube in a rocks glass.
4. Express an blood orange peel over each glass.
5. Decorate with a sliced blood orange on the rim