Cocktail recipe
Vieux Carré
Rye, Cognac and sweet vermouth meet in a richly aromatic New Orleans nightcap.
Ingredients
- 30 ml (1 oz) rye whiskey
- 30 ml (1 oz) Cognac
- 30 ml (1 oz) sweet red vermouth
- 5 ml (1 tsp) Bénédictine-style herbal liqueur
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters
- 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
- Garnish: 1 lemon twist and 1 cocktail cherry
Preparation
Stir rye, Cognac, vermouth, herbal liqueur and both bitters over hard ice until the drink takes on a satin texture. Strain over a large cube, express the lemon peel and add the cherry without muddling it.
Glassware
Rocks glass with one large cube
History
Walter Bergeron is credited with creating the Vieux Carré at the Hotel Monteleone's bar in New Orleans in the 1930s. Its name honours the French Quarter. Early print history is less straightforward than the familiar hotel story suggests, so the precise creation date should remain qualified; the hotel's Carousel Bar is strongly associated with its later fame.
Mixology View
The equal partnership of rye and Cognac is the point. Herbal liqueur should bind the flavours, not dominate. Our build preserves the familiar modern equal-parts backbone.