The Vieux Carré recipe
stirred, chilled, and served without ice
Place the coupe in the freezer for ten minutes, as the cocktail is served without ice.
Fill a mixing glass to the brim with ice and add the rye, the cognac, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, and bitters.
Stir for 30 seconds with a bar spoon, until the outside of the mixing glass becomes frosted.
Strain the cocktail into the chilled coupe.
Squeeze the orange zest over the glass so the oil falls onto the drink, and add a cocktail cherry.
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The story
The Vieux Carré is attributed to Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. The name is French for 'old square', the former name of the French Quarter where the hotel stands. The recipe appeared in the late 1930s in Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em by Stanley Clisby Arthur, who wrote that Bergeron created the drink as a tribute to the neighborhood with its antique shops and wrought-iron balconies. The ingredients tell the story of the city: American rye, French cognac and Bénédictine, Italian vermouth, and the bitters of Antoine Peychaud, a pharmacist from New Orleans. The hotel's bar is now called the Carousel Bar and still serves the drink. The Vieux Carré is on the official IBA list, in the Unforgettables category.
The right glass
The IBA serves the Vieux Carré straight up in a chilled cocktail glass, and a coupe is the most practical choice for this. With 9.5 cl of ingredients and some meltwater, you end up with around 12 cl, so a 22 to 24 cl coupe leaves enough room to walk from the bar to the sofa without spilling. The rounded bowl keeps the aromas of cognac and orange together, while the stem keeps your hand away from the drink. View our coupe glasses.
RCR Opera Champagne Glass / Coupe 24 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco America'20S Champagne Glass / Coupe 22 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 79,90.
The right tools
For a Vieux Carré, in addition to the glass, you use a mixing glass, a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring, a julep strainer, and a bitters bottle. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
The strainer that goes with a mixing glass
Glass set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 133,70.
What do you make a Vieux Carré with?
For a Vieux Carré, you need whisky and cognac. Well-known bottles include Martini Riserva Speciale Rubino, Hennessy and Rémy Martin. On every liquor page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The IBA uses only Peychaud's. Many other recipes combine a dash of Peychaud's with a dash of Angostura, making the drink slightly drier and more herbal. Just as common is serving the Vieux Carré over a large ice cube in a heavy tumbler, such as an Old Fashioned: it dilutes slowly and stays cold longer. If you want it more bitter, you are close to the Boulevardier, with Campari instead of cognac and Bénédictine.
Serving tip
After opening, store the sweet vermouth in the refrigerator and use it within a month, as vermouth is wine and oxidizes. Serve the Vieux Carré after dinner with a piece of dark chocolate or a handful of roasted pecans.
Good to know
Making a Vieux Carré: the ingredients at a glance
For a Vieux Carré, you need five ingredients, each with its own role. The rye whiskey adds spice and pepper, while the cognac brings smoothness and dried fruit. The sweet vermouth ties the two together with herbs and a slight bitterness. Bénédictine is a French herbal liqueur with a honey-like sweetness; one bar spoon is enough, as more will make the drink syrupy. Peychaud's bitters add anise and a red hue. Since all the ingredients are already sweet or spicy, there is no simple syrup. Finish with an orange zest over the glass.
Which rye and cognac work best
Choose a rye at 45 to 50 percent ABV. Rye whiskey is made from at least 51 percent rye and is drier and spicier than bourbon; you need that against the sweet vermouth and Bénédictine. Bourbon can also work, but the drink will be noticeably sweeter. For cognac, VS or VSOP is the right choice: fruity enough to stand out, yet young enough not to be too expensive. An XO would be a waste, since its woody layers disappear beneath the vermouth. If you don't have cognac, use a good armagnac or French brandy.
What is Bénédictine and can you replace it
Bénédictine is an herbal liqueur from Fécamp in Normandy, made with dozens of herbs and spices and sweet in flavor. In the Vieux Carré, it adds depth and a honey-like finish. A bottle lasts a long time because you use only a bar spoon per glass. If you don't have it, Drambuie is the closest substitute: it also has honey and herbs, but with Scotch whisky as its base, making it slightly smokier. Yellow Chartreuse can also work, although it pulls the drink more toward anise and saffron. It's better not to leave it out entirely, or the drink will lack its core character.
Why you stir a Vieux Carré instead of shaking it
The Vieux Carré consists only of spirits, vermouth, and liqueur, with no juice, cream, or egg white. Cocktails like this are stirred because stirring chills and dilutes without introducing air into the drink. The result remains clear and silky smooth. Shaking makes it cloudy and frothy and breaks the ice into splinters that end up in the glass. Stir for thirty seconds with plenty of ice in a mixing glass; this dilutes the drink by about a quarter, enough to temper the alcohol. A heavy mixing glass keeps the temperature stable; see our mixing glasses.
Difference between Vieux Carré, Manhattan, and Sazerac
The three are related, but each emphasizes something different. The Manhattan is rye with sweet vermouth and Angostura, in a two-to-one ratio: crisp and spicy. The Vieux Carré halves the rye, adds cognac and Bénédictine, and becomes rounder, fruitier, and sweeter as a result. The Sazerac, also from New Orleans, has no vermouth: rye or cognac with a sugar cube, Peychaud's, and an absinthe rinse in the glass. If you like the Manhattan and are looking for something softer, the Vieux Carré is the one to try. If you want something drier and sharper, choose the Sazerac.
Making Vieux Carré for a group
A stirred cocktail like this is well suited to preparing in advance. For each person, combine 3 cl rye, 3 cl cognac, 3 cl sweet vermouth, 0.5 cl Bénédictine, and two dashes of Peychaud's in a bottle. Add 2 cl of water per person: this replaces the meltwater from stirring. Refrigerate the bottle for four hours, then place it in the freezer for the final hour so it becomes ice-cold without freezing. When serving, pour directly into chilled coupes and express fresh orange zest over each glass. This way, a batch of eight glasses is ready in two minutes, without having to stir each one.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Vieux Carré?
A Vieux Carré is a stirred cocktail from New Orleans made with equal parts rye whiskey, cognac, and sweet vermouth, plus a bar spoon of Bénédictine and two dashes of Peychaud's bitters. It is served chilled and without ice in a coupe, garnished with orange zest and a cocktail cherry.
What does Vieux Carré mean?
Vieux Carré is French for 'old square'. It is the historical name of the French Quarter in New Orleans, the neighborhood where Hotel Monteleone is located. Bartender Walter Bergeron, who is credited with creating the cocktail, named the drink after that neighborhood.
How strong is a Vieux Carré?
A Vieux Carré is strong: about 27 percent alcohol in the glass. It contains 6 cl of spirits, topped up with vermouth and liqueur, for a total of more than 3 cl of pure alcohol. That is approximately two and a half standard drinks. So drink it slowly, preferably after dinner.
Which glass do you use for a Vieux Carré?
A chilled coupe of 22 to 24 cl, because the IBA serves it straight up. The rounded bowl retains the aroma, while the stem keeps the drink cool. If you prefer it on the rocks, use a heavy tumbler with one large ice cube, as for an Old Fashioned.
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