The Vieux Carré: New Orleans in a Glass

The Vieux Carré is named after the French Quarter of New Orleans, the "old square." It is one of the city's great contributions to the cocktail canon, alongside the Sazerac and the Ramos Gin Fizz, and it is the drink I recommend most often to people who love a Manhattan and want to try something a little more layered.

Where it comes from

The drink is credited to Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street. It appears in print in Stanley Clisby Arthur's 1937 book Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, which attributes it to Bergeron, and menus often date it to around 1938. The Monteleone later became famous for its revolving Carousel Bar, which opened in 1949 and still turns slowly today, and the Vieux Carré is now its signature.

The recipe is a portrait of New Orleans drinking. Rye whiskey was the American spirit of the city's bars. Cognac speaks to its French heritage. Peychaud's bitters were created in New Orleans by the apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud. Bénédictine, the French herbal liqueur, was a staple of the city's back bars.

The recipe

The classic proportions are equal parts rye, cognac and sweet vermouth, with a small amount of Bénédictine and two dashes each of Peychaud's and Angostura bitters. Equal parts sounds simple, but it means the choice of each component matters.

• Rye: a spicy, 45 to 50 percent rye gives the drink its backbone.
• Cognac: a VS or VSOP is ideal. You want fruit and softness, not heavy oak.
• Sweet vermouth: choose a good Italian-style red vermouth, and make sure it is fresh. Old, oxidized vermouth will ruin this drink. Our vermouth guide explains how to store it.
• Bénédictine: one bar spoon, around 5 ml. More than that and the drink turns syrupy and honeyed.

Technique

Stir everything with ice for 25 to 30 seconds. Because there are four alcoholic components and no juice, the drink needs a fair amount of dilution to open up. Strain it over a large cube in a rocks glass, or serve it up in a chilled coupe if you prefer. The rocks version is traditional at the Monteleone and drinks more gently as the ice melts.

Garnish with a lemon twist, a quality cherry, or both. The lemon adds brightness; the cherry plays to the fruit in the cognac.

Why it works

Rye and cognac sound like an odd couple, but they balance each other. The rye brings spice and dryness, the cognac brings roundness and fruit. Vermouth adds wine, bitterness and sweetness. Bénédictine and the two bitters fill the gaps with herbs and spice. The result tastes like a richer, more complex Manhattan, but it is not heavier, because no single element dominates.

Bergeron, Arthur and the Carousel Bar

The drink first appeared in print in Stanley Clisby Arthur's 1937 book Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, which credited Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the Hotel Monteleone, with creating it to honor the French Quarter. Vieux carré means "old square," the old French name for the Quarter. Bergeron had worked at the hotel before Prohibition and returned after Repeal. The famous revolving Carousel Bar, where the drink is usually ordered today, was installed later, in 1949, so the first Vieux Carrés were served in an earlier bar in the same hotel.

For decades the drink was close to forgotten, even in New Orleans. The cocktail revival of the 2000s brought it back, and the Carousel Bar now treats it as its house cocktail. Bartenders there sometimes describe it as a tribute to the people of the Quarter: rye for the Americans, cognac and Bénédictine for the French, sweet vermouth for the Italians and bitters for the Caribbean. It is a nice story, even if nobody can prove Bergeron thought of it that way.

Choosing the bottles

• Rye: a spicy, robust rye around 45 to 50 percent. Too soft a rye and the drink turns syrupy.
• Cognac: a VS or VSOP is ideal. Its fruit balances the rye's spice; an old, oaky cognac is wasted here.
• Sweet vermouth: a full, vanilla-rich Italian vermouth. Store it in the fridge.
• Bénédictine: the French herbal liqueur, honeyed and spiced. A bar spoon is enough; more makes the drink cloying.
• Bitters: both Peychaud's, the New Orleans classic with anise and cherry notes, and Angostura.

Common mistakes

• Too much Bénédictine. Measure it. Five milliliters is plenty.
• Under-stirring. This is a strong, sweet drink. It needs proper dilution, about 25 to 30 seconds of stirring, or it tastes hot and heavy.
• Tired vermouth. Oxidized vermouth makes the whole drink taste flat.
• Skipping the lemon peel. The oil on top lifts all that richness.

Batching

Like the Manhattan, the Vieux Carré keeps well in a bottle. For six drinks, combine 135 ml each of rye, cognac and sweet vermouth, 30 ml Bénédictine, 12 dashes each of Peychaud's and Angostura, and 90 ml water. Refrigerate and pour over ice to serve.

Variations

• Split the vermouth between sweet vermouth and a little amaro for a darker, more bitter drink.
• Swap the cognac for Calvados in autumn. It is a natural match for rye.
• Use an aged rum in place of the cognac for a drink that leans toward the Caribbean.

If you enjoy the Vieux Carré, try the Hanky Panky, another classic that uses a bold herbal accent on a simple base, or go back to the Old Fashioned and taste how much the vermouth and liqueur add.

Sources and further reading

• Vieux Carré (Wikipedia)
• Hotel Monteleone (Wikipedia)
• In Search of the Ultimate Vieux Carré, PUNCH