I was very surprised. I ascribe the results to the generally held bartender believe that any classic cocktail made with bourbon is better when made with rye. I don’t buy into that, exactly, but I know many who do. I do feel that, if they’re using rye, they should advertise it as a Rye Boulevardier. But cocktails evolve. The Jungle Bird we all drink and love today, for example, is nothing like the Jungle Bird recipe as first printed.
Interestingly, Toby Cecchini, who has spent more time with this cocktail than any bartender, changed his thinking over time. In an influential article he wrote in 2012, he described it as a drink that could take either bourbon or rye. But the version he now serves at Long Island Bar is all rye.