Vieux Carré — tasting notes & food pairings

Vieux Carré

The Vieux Carré is a spirit-forward New Orleans classic, a stirred cocktail of the Manhattan family that layers rye whiskey and cognac over sweet vermouth, a measure of Bénédictine and two kinds of bitters. Named for the Vieux Carré — French for "old square", the city's French Quarter — it was created at the Hotel Monteleone in the 1930s and has been a Crescent City fixture ever since. It is a rich, warming, boozy drink: amber and aromatic, herbal and lightly sweet, with the spice of rye, the fruit of cognac and the honeyed botanicals of Bénédictine all bound together. The International Bartenders Association lists it among its "Unforgettables", and it remains one of the defining cocktails of New Orleans alongside the Sazerac.

Balanced28% ABV

An amber, spirit-forward stirred cocktail of roughly 25 to 30 percent alcohol, rich and warming and aromatically dense. The peppery spice of rye and the dark, raisiny fruit of cognac lead, sweetened and rounded by red vermouth and the honeyed, herbal botanicals of Bénédictine, while Peychaud's and Angostura bitters add a savoury, anise-tinged, faintly bitter lift. A lemon twist brightens the nose with citrus oils; the whole drink is mellow, complex and slow-sipping, finishing long on spice, oak and herbs rather than on sweetness.