Anatomy of a Classic Cocktail: The Vieux Carré

This French Quarter drink is just like its city of birth—a strong-spirited concoction with layers of complexity and a hint of sweetness

Get in the Mardi Gras spirit with one of New Orleans's signature drinks. (Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock)

A New Orleans original, the Vieux Carré (pronounced vyoo kah-RAY) takes a French name, meaning “old square,” and in this context, that’s the oldest part of the city: the French Quarter. While there’s no precise date of its creation, the recipe first takes the light of print in 1937 in Stanley Clisby Arthur’s “Famous New Orleans Drinks & How to Mix ‘Em,” wherein the author credits the drink to Walter Bergeron ... a year before many writings say the drink was even invented.

We do know that Bergeron served as head bartender at Hotel Monteleone in—where else?—the French Quarter, both before and after Prohibition, and his creation became the hotel bar’s signature drink. Since 1949, the historic hotel has been the home of Carousel Bar & Lounge, and as the name suggests, the round bar looks like a carnival ride and even rotates like its namesake (albeit slower, thank heavens).

A touch of herbal Bénédictine sweetens the drink just enough. (Tessa Bishop/Shutterstock)

The ingredients represent a bit of the NOLA melting pot: French Cognac and Bénédictine; American rye whiskey, which became popular here when the pest Phylloxera crippled Cognac production in France; Italian vermouth, for which Cocchi Vermouth di Turino or Carpano Antica are nice options, the latter a bit pricier than the former; Angostura bitters from the Caribbean; and Peychaud’s bitters, once sold for medicinal purposes before finding its way into cocktails, from the Old Square itself.

Peychaud's bitters, a NOLA original, join Angostura. (Keith Homan/Shutterstock)

Arthur’s recipe calls for 1/3 jiggers (half an ounce) each of Cognac, rye, and vermouth, and a mere half teaspoon (1/12 of an ounce) of Bénédictine. Add a dash each of Angostura and Peychaud’s; Arthur also suggests you consider dropping in a slice of pineapple and a cherry.

For an old-school garnish, try a pineapple slice. (Africa Studio/Shutterstock)

Those proportions may seem small, but you can see where this goes when you ratchet them up. The Vieux Carré has a bit of the balanced appeal of a Manhattan, but with a bit more complexity, given both the whiskey and cognac and that touch of the herbal Bénédictine that, when added in Arthur’s slight measure, sweetens it just enough without overwhelming it.

Start here and adjust to taste. Like New Orleans itself, the spirits are strong in this one!

Vieux Carré

• 3/4 ounce rye whiskey
• 3/4 ounce Cognac
• 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1/3 ounce Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass full of ice and stir until chilled. Then, strain into an old-fashioned glass over ice.

Garnish with lemon peel. Old-school additions of a pineapple slice and a cherry are optional.