Complicated and spirit-forward, the Vieux Carré is a New Orleans traditional constructed from rye whiskey, Cognac, candy vermouth, Bénédictine, and fragrant bitters. Created within the Nineteen Thirties, its title interprets to “outdated sq.,” a nod to town’s historic French Quarter, the place the drink was born.

The cocktail is credited to bartender Walter Bergeron, who first blended it on the Swan Room — now the Carousel Bar — contained in the legendary Resort Monteleone. Whereas the exact date of its creation stays debated, the recipe first appeared in print in Well-known New Orleans Drinks and Methods to Combine ’Em (1937) by Stanley Clisby Arthur. Within the e book, Arthur wrote about Bergeron’s inspiration for the multi-layered drink: “He originated it, he says, to do honor to the famed Vieux Carré, that a part of New Orleans the place the vintage outlets and the iron lace balconies give sightseers a glimpse into the romance of one other day.”

With French Cognac and Bénédictine, Italian-style candy vermouth, American rye whiskey, and regionally made Peychaud’s bitters, the Vieux Carré displays the layered cultural historical past of New Orleans, capturing town’s international influences in a glass.

Why the Vieux Carré works

Although the Vieux Carré is commonly thought of an herbaceous cousin to the Manhattan, the cocktail’s recipe goes additional due to its equal-parts construction. 

Spicy rye supplies spine, whereas Cognac and candy vermouth contribute darkish fruit richness and roundness. Bénédictine and bitters add delicate honeyed sweetness, natural depth, and spice, leading to a balanced, multi-dimensional cocktail with a wealthy texture.

In Well-known New Orleans Drinks and Methods to Combine ’Em, the recipe calls for under a half teaspoon of Bénédictine liqueur “as a base and in addition for sweetening the cocktail,” writes Arthur. This model will increase the pour to 1 / 4 ounce, amplifying the liqueur’s honeyed sweetness and heat baking-spice notes. A lemon twist provides brilliant citrus aromatics, whereas an optionally available brandied cherry nods to the cocktail’s Manhattan roots.