Vieux Carré
The French Quarter, distilled.
Rye whiskey and cognac in equal parts with sweet vermouth, a barspoon of Bénédictine and Peychaud's bitters. A stirred drink, smooth and spiced, that captures New Orleans' meeting of American and French culture.
- IBA · The Unforgettables
- After dinner
- Stirred
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
- Method
- Stirred
- Strength
- Very strong
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Rye whiskey
30 ml
-
Cognac
30 ml
-
Sweet red vermouth
30 ml
-
Bénédictine
1 barspoon
-
Peychaud's bitters
2 dashes
Garnish
- Orange twist
- Maraschino cherry
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- Fill the mixing glass with ice.
- Pour the rye whiskey.
- Pour the cognac.
- Pour the sweet red vermouth.
- Add a barspoon of Bénédictine.
- Add two dashes of Peychaud's bitters.
- Stir well.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with orange zest and a maraschino cherry.
The story
Origins
DocumentedOrigin attested by written sources of the time.
The name means "old square", the French term for New Orleans' French Quarter. The recipe first appears in 1938 in Stanley Clisby Arthur's book Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, which credits its creation to Walter Bergeron, head bartender of the Hotel Monteleone's cocktail lounge, today known as the Carousel Bar. Arthur is not always considered a reliable witness, but census records and city directories confirm that Bergeron worked as a bartender at the Monteleone for decades, and the attribution is now generally accepted. The drink unites American rye whiskey and French cognac, a mirror of the city itself.
Taste profile
- Strong
- 5 out of 5
- Herbal
- 3 out of 5
- Bitter
- 2 out of 5
- Sweet
- 2 out of 5
- Spicy
- 2 out of 5
