Vieux Carré cocktail in a rocks glass — Sweet vermouth

Vieux Carré Cocktail Recipe

boozy herbal complex

rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, bénédictine, peychaud's bitters, angostura bitters

History

The Vieux Carré was created in the 1930s by Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. First published in Stanley Clisby Arthur’s Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em (1937), it is named for the French Quarter—literally “Old Square” in French. Bergeron designed it as a liquid portrait of the Quarter: rye for the Americans, cognac and Bénédictine for the French, sweet vermouth for the Italians, and both Peychaud's and Angostura for the Caribbean. A quarter-ounce of Bénédictine is enough — more turns it into a dessert drink. If rye, cognac, and sweet vermouth are already in the pantry, this is the New Orleans stir to mix before you buy another bottle of bitters.

Ingredients

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How to make

  1. Chill a rocks glass, or pack it with ice, while you mix.
  2. Add ¾ oz rye whiskey, ¾ oz cognac, ¾ oz sweet vermouth, and ¼ oz Bénédictine to a mixing glass.
  3. Then 2 dashes each of Peychaud's bitters and Angostura bitters.
  4. Pack with ice and stir 20 to 30 seconds until the mixing glass frosts — this is a stirred drink, never shaken.
  5. Strain over a large ice cube in the rocks glass.
  6. Express a lemon peel over the surface so the oils hit the rye and cognac, then drop the peel in.

Glassware

Rocks glass

Short and sturdy for spirit-forward drinks served on ice — easy to hold, stir, and sip without watering down too fast.

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Rocks glass glassware

Vieux Carré FAQ

How do you pronounce Vieux Carré?

VOO kah-RAY — French for “Old Square,” the New Orleans French Quarter. The drink is rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, and both Peychaud's and Angostura bitters, stirred over a large ice cube.

What ingredients are in a Vieux Carré?

A Vieux Carré is made with rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, bénédictine, peychaud's bitters, and angostura bitters. Amounts and pantry matching are in the ingredients list on this page.

How do you make a Vieux Carré?

Chill a rocks glass, or pack it with ice, while you mix. Add ¾ oz rye whiskey, ¾ oz cognac, ¾ oz sweet vermouth, and ¼ oz Bénédictine to a mixing glass. Then 2 dashes each of Peychaud's bitters and Angostura bitters. Pack with ice and stir 20 to 30 seconds until the mixing glass frosts — this is a stirred drink, never shaken. Strain over a large ice cube in the rocks glass. Express a lemon peel over the surface so the oils hit the rye and cognac, then drop the peel in.

What glass do you serve a Vieux Carré in?

Serve a Vieux Carré in a Rocks glass. Short and sturdy for spirit-forward drinks served on ice — easy to hold, stir, and sip without watering down too fast.

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