Vieux Carré

A strong and stirred New Orleans classic.

New Orleans does strong and stirred better than most American cities. From the Hurricane to the Sazerac, Pat O’Brien’s to the Napoleon House, much of the Big Easy’s cocktail history insists upon specific coordinates of conception. Stanley Clisby Arthur, author of Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em, attributed this drink’s original recipe to the Hotel Monteleone, located in the Vieux Carré (French Quarter). Today, the cocktail remains a New Orleans classic, and can be experienced at its original post at the Monteleone’s Carousel Bar, which turns slowly around as life in the peculiar precinct passes by on Royal Street.

Photo original published in Bitters by Brad Thomas Parsons, copyright © 2011. Photo by Ed Anderson © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 1 ounce rye
  • 1 ounce rye
  • 1 ounce cognac
  • 1 ounce cognac
  • 1 ounce sweet vermouth
  • 1 ounce sweet vermouth
  • 1/4 ounce Bénédictine
  • 1/4 ounce Bénédictine
  • 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
  • 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Garnish: lemon peel

Directions
  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass.
  2. Add ice and stir until chilled.
  3. Strain over ice into a rocks glass.
  4. Garnish with an orange or lemon peel.