Vieux Carré Recipe
Vieux Carré Ingredients
.75 oz / 22 ml Cognac
.75 oz / 22 ml Rye whiskey
.75 oz / 22 ml Sweet vermouth
1 barspoon Bénédictine
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
2-3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
Lemon twist, for garnish
How to make a Vieux Carré
Add the cognac, rye, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, and both bitters to a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice (or a large ice sphere) and express a lemon twist over the top.
The Vieux Carré was invented in 1938 by Walter Bergeron, head bartender at New Orleans' Hotel Monteleone, in what's now the hotel's famous rotating Carousel Bar. Named for the French Quarter itself (Vieux Carré means "old square"), it splits the difference between a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned — equal parts cognac and rye soften each other, while Bénédictine and two bitters give it real depth. It's still served at the Hotel Monteleone almost exactly as Bergeron wrote it.
