042 – Vieux Carré

A Sydney Covid ‘lock-down’ exploration of the ‘Vieux Carré’ cocktail, two official recipes, and my Sydney Lock-down re-mix. The #Locktail Vieux Carré.

Lock-down has inspired me to explore this famous cocktail, no questions on the New Orleans origination and history of this classic cocktail, but there is certainly healthy debate about how to make it.

Make your own ‘mix-at-home’ Locktail, the 2021 Sydney #Locktail ‘Vieux Carré’ re-imagined.

METHOD – Add 60ml Whiskey (I am recommending George Dickel Sour Mash No.12 but feel free to use Straight Rye, like Sazerac Rye or similar), 30ml Cognac (like Hennessy), 30ml Sweet Italian Red Vermouth (like Oscar 697 or Carpano Antica), 30ml DOM Bénédictine, and 3-to-5 dashes (to personal taste) of both Peychaud’s Bitters and Angostura Bitters, into a mixing glass with a handful of ice or a couple of large ice cubes/spheres. Stir until cold (10-to-15 seconds) and strain into a chilled Coupe or Cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon spiral and an (optional) cocktail cherry.

HISTORICAL NOTES – Where would the cocktail world be without New Orleans? It’s a rhetorical question of course, it would be a lot poorer without the amazing creativity that came from that great city, including the Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz just for starters.

Vieux Carré (pron. vyur-kaa-ray in Creole style French) translates as ‘old square’ and refers to the original name of the French Quarter in New Orleans. It was invented by Walter Bergeron in the early or mid-1930’s, the Head Bartender at the Hotel Monteleone, later known for its famous ‘Carousel Bar’ (installed in 1949).

The recipe first appeared in print in Stanley Clisby Arthur’s 1937 book ‘New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em’. The basic premise is Rye Whiskey, Cognac, Sweet Red Vermouth and Bénédictine with some additional bitters, a very alcohol forward cocktail. The recipes that followed, and that exist today, have varied the ingredients from equal-parts to selected over-weighting depending on preference.

The Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone had their modern-day official (or at least published) recipe, so does the IBA in it’s ‘The Unforgettables’ list, and many other cocktail luminaries and historians have their version. It seems the history of the ‘Old Square’ isn’t quite finished yet.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – The ‘Vieux Carré’ is one of only 33-cocktails included on the International Bartender Association’s (IBA) ‘The Unforgettables’ official cocktail list, here. The recipe calls for 30ml Rye Whiskey, 30ml Cognac, 30ml Sweet Vermouth, one bar-spoon (5ml) of Bénédictine, and 2-dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters. Mixed and strained into a cocktail glass and garnished with orange zest and a maraschino cherry.

The Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans has their own ‘official recipe’ which is 15ml Rye Whiskey, 7.5ml (1/4 shot) each of Cognac, Vermouth and Bénédictine and 3-drops each of Peychaud’s and Angostura Bitters. The cocktail is mixed and then poured over ice (on the rocks) and garnished with a twist of lemon. This is no doubt an experience, but a cocktail of rather constrained dimensions (about 45ml in total size).

TASTING NOTES – I had no choice (your honour) I had to try them all, as well as some alternative mixes, Simon Difford’s (versions one and two, here), Imbibe magazine (here), Death & Co’s modern cocktail classics (you can visit their bar in NY, here), Epicurious, Absolut Drinks, and so on – you get the picture. I was on a mission.

The best? Well it pains me, surprises me, but maybe you knew this already. The best was that from the Hotel Monteleone, it had the best balance and clearly the best flavour of any of the mixes. A really beautiful cocktail. There were only two problems. Firstly, and it’s a big problem, their mix is only 45ml (and ounce and a half, or a shot-and-a-half). I’m not even sure that 45ml qualifies as a ‘cocktail’. I know in the USA, the standard pour is 45ml and this is a liquor-forward (strong) cocktail, but that just won’t cut it for a ‘make-at-home’, during lock-down re-mix. The second issue is that it is on the rocks, and 45ml on the rocks very quickly becomes unpleasantly diluted and the end of the drink is insipid.

Just to complete the picture, the recipes that called for ‘even-stephens’ on the cognac, rye and vermouth were too cognac-forward. The cognac over-balanced the whiskey and vermouth dramatically. Most other than the Hotel Monteleone heavily dial back the DOM Bénédictine, almost as though they wished Walter Bergeron had never included it. Simon Difford moved it from 7.5ml to 10ml, a whole ‘skerrick’ (Australian slang for ‘the smallest bit’), but this is an ingredient worthy of its inclusion and it does not overtake a cocktail already heavy with Whiskey and Cognac and Vermouth. It should be given equal place with all but the Whiskey. So what’s to be done?’

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – I guess you’ve picked this already. 45ml cocktails will just not stand, and I’m certainly not going to then dilute that with a big glob of ice, but I’m just saying I do want to go to New Orleans and try Hotel Monteleone’s thimble-full experience.

For me, its a ‘super-sizing’ moment. Two-shots Whiskey, and I am going to swap out the Sazerac Rye (which we used in our very first lock-tail the #001 Sazerac – also from New Orleans) for something a little stronger, smoother and sweeter from what I have on hand, which is a George Dickel Sour Mash No.12. If you have an amazing Rye (like a Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace, or something else amazing), use that, as this is a celebration of American Whiskey as the largest ingredient (thanks to Hotel Monteleone).

Then its an even straight shot (30ml each) of Cognac (Hennessy VSOP or any other Cognac of quality), Sweet Red Italian Vermouth and DOM Bénédictine. It seems strange using Italian Vermouth in a French Quarter cocktail, but New Orleans isn’t Paris and the sweet Italian is at home there. I am using the new and amazing Oscar 697 Vermouth Rosso (which is authentic in flavour), but feel free to use Carpano Antica or any other quality sweet red Italian Vermouth, just remember it needs to be fresh(ish), no more than a couple of months since you opened it and keep it in the fridge. Then we have done what others seem reluctant to do, and like Hotel Monteleone, we’ve made it a celebration of DOM Bénédictine. Sweet and herbal and a very worthy (circa 1510 – yes over 500-years old) inclusion in this not even a century-old re-imagining. Then lastly a proportional use of both Peychaud’s and Angostura Bitters, I would have given some Creole Bitters a run, if Lock-down availability allowed.

In the end, if a Sazerac and a Manhattan had a baby, and that baby had a flashy half-sister, the Singapore Sling, then this is a dark and brooding old-soul with a heart of gold. Some might see it as an ‘old square’, but really its a sophisticated citizen of the world. I commend a brave version of the ‘Vieux Carré’ to you for your edification and deliberation. Take my advice and go for my 150ml (wine glass size) re-imagining instead of the 45ml movie trailer.

By the way, just in respect of Jodie’s rating (above of 3-stars – pretty good), it needs to be said this is someone who doesn’t like Whiskey (or Whisky of almost any variety) and also isn’t a great fan of Cognac – I know weird right. So to score 3-stars anyway shows the balance and sophistication of this mix,

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am progressively building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site. I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’. Sorry that this mix may have broken the rules on ingredient ‘re-use’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

This is the second cocktail of the 1931-1940 bracket of ‘Locktail’ remixes. Full list in the index.