Vieux Carre Recipe
The Vieux Carre is New Orleans in a glass: rye whiskey and cognac braced by sweet vermouth, Benedictine, and two kinds of bitters. Built in the French Quarter in 1938, it drinks like a Manhattan that took a trip down south and came back richer.
Ingredients
- 0.75 ozrye whiskey
- 0.75 ozcognac
- 0.75 ozsweet vermouth
- 1 tspBenedictine
- 2 dashesPeychaud's bitters
- 1 dashAngostura bitters
Garnish
- Lemon peel, expressed and discarded or draped
Equipment: Mixing glass, bar spoon, jigger, strainer, rocks glass, channel knife or peeler
Method
- Chill a rocks glass with ice or place it in the freezer while you build the drink.
- Combine the rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, Peychaud's bitters, and Angostura bitters in a mixing glass.
- Fill the mixing glass about two thirds with ice and stir steadily for 20 to 30 seconds until the outside of the glass frosts.
- Strain into the chilled rocks glass over one large cube, or serve it up in a coupe if you prefer.
- Express the lemon peel over the surface, wipe the rim, and drop it in or discard it.
About the Vieux Carre
The Vieux Carre was created in 1938 by Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the Hotel Monteleone’s Carousel Bar in the French Quarter. He named it for the neighborhood itself, the “old square” that became the heart of New Orleans. The drink layers rye and cognac, a nod to the French and American drinking traditions that met in that city, then rounds them with sweet vermouth, Benedictine, and the Peychaud’s bitters that anchor so many New Orleans classics.
To nail it, respect the balance. The Benedictine is a sweetener and a spice note at once, so a teaspoon is the ceiling, not a starting point. Stir rather than shake: the drink is all spirit and fortified wine, and shaking dilutes it too fast and clouds the texture. Use a bonded or high rye whiskey so the grain still speaks through the cognac, and stir longer than feels necessary. The finished cocktail should be cold, silky, and just barely sweet on the finish.
- A teaspoon of Benedictine is roughly one barspoon; do not free pour it or the drink turns cloying.
- Both Peychaud's and Angostura are required. Peychaud's brings the anise and cherry lift, Angostura brings the backbone.
- Stir, never shake. The Vieux Carre is a spirit and vermouth drink and should stay clear.
- Keep sweet vermouth in the fridge after opening; it fades within a few weeks once the bottle is open.
Get the bottles delivered
Order online for same-day or next-day Long Island delivery, free curbside pickup in Commack, or wine shipping where it is legal (spirits are local delivery and in-store pickup only). You must be 21 or older.
