Using Cognac in cocktails isn’t a strange notion, especially when you live in New Orleans. This city, with its mix of Southern American, French, and African culture, is a wonderful melting pot of flavors and has a rich history in the annals of cocktail lore. This post is all about the Vieux Carré, a classic cocktail staple amongst bartenders.
There’s something that New Orleans does very well in regards to cocktails. They’re strong and assertive. The Sazerac, De la Louisiane, Hurricane, and Absinthe Frappé are all high octance cocktails credited to being created in the city, and the Vieux Carré falls right in line with them.
The history of this drink is fairly straightforward. Vieux Carré, literally meaning “old square,” or what they used to call the French Quarter in New Orleans, was created by a man named Walter Bergeron. Just before Prohibition, he managed to get hired at the very swank Hotel Monteleone located in the heart of the French Quarter. The hotel had been around since 1886 and was incredibly popular (still to this day). Bergeron was hired somewhere around the late 1910’s, but his employment didn’t last long as Prohibition came along in 1920. He, like every other bartender, found themselves out of a job. Bergeron began to work day labor, selling things like cigars and whatnot. Basically, whatever he had to do to get by. When Prohibition was over in 1933, Hotel Monteleone actually hired him back and he created the Vieux Carré in 1938 for their menu.
The cocktail can still be ordered today at the Hotel Monteleone lobby bar called the Carousel Bar. And, from what I’m told, it’s still made the exact same way it was created all those years ago. It’s always a cool experience to drink a cocktail in the bar where it was created so long ago. For any cocktail enthusiasts out there, this is a huge plus. This bar is also really unique because every 15 minutes you’ve actually made one full rotation around the room since it’s on a turning platform, just like an actual carousel.
Image from Conde Nast, www.cntraveler.com
The Vieux Carré consists of Cognac, rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, and both Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters. The easiest way to think about it is that it’s a Manhattan variation. Rye and sweet vermouth, check. Bitters, check. Just splitting the base with Cognac and adding a little French liqueur to add some depth and roundness. This is an easy cocktail to introduce to your whiskey loving friends for obvious reasons.
For the most part when you search around online for a recipe or ask your bartender how they make one, there’s not a whole lot of variation. That’s quite refreshing to hear almost everyone is making this relatively the same way. The biggest difference I see is that things are split down the middle when it comes to serving it up or on the rocks and what garnish to use. I think you can get away with serving it up, however, the Bénédictine can end up being a bit cloying and sweet once it warms up in the glass. I definitely prefer to have mine on the rocks, larger ones if you got them, and under dilute the cocktail. When you make a cocktail that you’re serving on the rocks, I always like to stir them in my mixing glass for about half the time I would for a cocktail I’m serving up. That way, when you pour it over ice, it’s going to keep diluting over time. Putting an already fully diluted cocktail in ice will give you a watered-down mess by your last few sips.
Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients and my preferred recipe.
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Cognac
I’d grab a VS or VSOP for the Vieux Carré. Choose something a little bit more focused on the fruity side of things rather than spice. The great part about this cocktail is the Cognac and rye whiskey working together, one bringing fruity notes and the other bringing barrel spices. No need to make them compete against each other.
Rye Whiskey
Go for a higher proof rye for this like Wild Turkey 101 or Rittenhouse. This cocktail needs a little extra punch to cut through the vermouth and Bénédictine. Plus, the traditional rye spiciness is what we’re looking for to play with the Cognac.
Sweet Vermouth
There are too many vermouths on the market to count, and I’m okay with that. The more the better in my eyes! Vermouth is a bit of an underrated element in cocktails. Just because it says sweet vermouth on the label doesn’t mean it’s interchangeable in any cocktail asking for it. An Italian vermouth, which are usually bigger and bolder in their herbal notes as compared to French vermouth, should be used here. Something lighter would get lost here. Carpano Antica is a solid staple in a lot of bars and works great in a Vieux Carré.
Bénédictine
This is an herbal French liqueur said to be created in the 19th century based off a recipe by Bénédictine monks in Normandy, but the original recipe was lost in the French Revolution. It has something like 27 different herbs, roots, spices, etc. in the blend. It’s not as overbearing as something like Maraschino liqueur or Crème de Violette, but I still use it sparingly in cocktails. Usually never more than .5 oz (15 ml) in most recipes. In our case here, we’ll be using less.
Bitters
Angostura are the most well known of all the bitters. It has the iconic yellow cap and oversized white paper around the bottle. Clove, cinnamon, and tree bark are among its flavors. Peychaud’s bitters is a New Orleans creation just like this cocktail. It has a bright red color and tastes predominately of bitter cherry. The Sazerac is probably the most well-known cocktail that uses these bitters, but there’s actually quite a few that call for it, such as the Vieux Carré.
Garnish
The two I usually see on this cocktail is either a lemon or orange twist. I’d choose a lemon twist as in the original recipe over an orange twist. The lemon will dry it out a touch and add some brightness, while an orange might make it read a bit sweeter.
Recipe
1 oz (30 ml) VS or VSOP Cognac
1 oz (30 ml) rye whiskey
1 oz (30 ml) sweet vermouth
.25 oz (8 ml) Bénédictine
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and briefly stir with ice. Strain into a Double Old Fashioned glass with a large cube. Garnish with a lemon twist.
