Vieux Carre
Rye and cognac split down the middle, with vermouth, Bénédictine and two bitters. The most complex of the great stirred drinks, and New Orleans' other masterpiece.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Add all six ingredients to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 25-30 seconds.
Strain over one large cube in a rocks glass, or up into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
A thoughtful finish
- Both bitters, not one. Peychaud's brings anise and cherry, Angostura brings clove and bark — the drink is built on having both and tastes noticeably flatter with either missing.
- A quarter-ounce of Bénédictine is plenty. It is honeyed and herbal and very assertive; at half an ounce it takes the drink over.
- Mix with a VS or VSOP cognac. An XO's subtleties disappear entirely under five other ingredients.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the Bénédictine because you do not have it. It is the ingredient that makes this drink distinct from a Manhattan — without it you have a brandy-rye Manhattan, which is good but is not a Vieux Carré.
- Using only Angostura. The Peychaud's is not optional here.
- Shaking it. Six ingredients, all spirit or fortified wine — stir.
A few good questions.
What is Bénédictine?
A French herbal liqueur, honeyed and spiced, made to a secret recipe since the nineteenth century at 40% ABV. One bottle lasts years because recipes use a quarter-ounce at a time.
Can I use just rye, or just cognac?
You can, and both make decent drinks, but the split base is the whole idea — it is the drink's statement about New Orleans drinking history. Try it split first.
How is it different from a Sazerac?
Almost entirely. A Sazerac is one spirit with sugar, Peychaud's and an absinthe rinse, served with no ice. The Vieux Carré is two spirits plus vermouth and Bénédictine, served over ice.
Up or on the rocks?
Traditionally over ice in a rocks glass, which is how the Monteleone serves it. Up in a coupe is also common and keeps it colder.
Variations
Where it comes from
1938 · New Orleans, Louisiana · Walter Bergeron · Hotel Monteleone
Walter Bergeron created it in 1938 as head bartender at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter, and named it for the Vieux Carré — the quarter itself. The recipe first appeared in print in Stanley Clisby Arthur’s Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em in 1937, and the Monteleone’s revolving Carousel Bar still serves it. The split base of rye and cognac is a deliberate nod to the city’s history: French brandy was the original spirit of New Orleans drinking, and American rye replaced it after phylloxera. This drink puts both back in the glass.
Sources
- Stanley Clisby Arthur, Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, 1937 (book)
- Hotel Monteleone, Carousel Bar house history, current (venue)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2007 (book)
Strength. About 1.51 US standard drinks at an estimated 28.8% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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