Cocktails / Vieux Carré

Vieux Carré

Name: Vieux Carré
Yield: 1 cocktail
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: ¾ oz Rye Whiskey; ¾ oz Cognac; ¾ oz Sweet Vermouth; ¼ oz Bénédictine; 2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters; 2 dashes Angostura Bitters; garnish Lemon twist

Two spirits, sweet vermouth, a quarter ounce of Bénédictine, and bitters from both ends of New Orleans. Rich, slow, and built for a long sit.

It asks more of your bar than most classics and pays you back for it. If you’ve been looking for a reason to open the Bénédictine, this is it.

Vieux Carré

Rocks · Large cube

Ingredients

¾ ozRye Whiskey
¾ ozCognac
¾ ozSweet Vermouth
¼ ozBénédictine
2 dashesPeychaud's Bitters
2 dashesAngostura Bitters
garnishLemon twist

Method

1
Combine rye, Cognac, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, and both bitters in a mixing glass.
2
Add ice and stir for 25–30 seconds.
3
Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
4
Garnish with an expressed lemon twist.

History

Created by head bartender Walter Bergeron at the Hotel Monteleone's Carousel Bar in New Orleans' French Quarter (Vieux Carré means "old square") in the 1930s, first published in *Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em* by Stanley Clisby Arthur (1937). The drink is a compelling argument for New Orleans as the cocktail capital of the United States, combining American rye and French Cognac with Italian sweet vermouth and French Bénédictine, seasoned with both Peychaud's and Angostura.

Pro tip

Both bitters are mandatory — Peychaud's anise character is the drink's signature, while Angostura provides the spice structure. A quality VSOP Cognac and high-rye whiskey are both important; this is not a cocktail where bottom-shelf ingredients are hidden. The Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone still serves this drink and remains one of the great experiences in American cocktail culture.