Vieux Carré Cocktail: Another New Orleans Classic

As we entered our 9th month of interminable COVID-based lockdown, I was starting to feel a little cabin fever.

I had promised Sean a review of the famous local cocktail, the Vieux Carre, and I thought brilliantly to myself, “what better way to make this foray into the glamorous world of New Orleans mixology than to go right to its inception: the famed Carousel Bar!”

My Failed Attempt At Investigative Journalism

I hopped on the St. Charles streetcar on a surprisingly frigid winter day and took it all the way down to the end of the line, and then walked the last few blocks into the French Quarter. There on Royale Street (the classier antidote to nearby Bourbon St’s debauchery), I found the Monteleone Hotel and its interior bar.

If you’ve never been to the Carousel Bar in NOLA, it is well worth a visit. Consistently named one of the top hotel bars in the world, it is indeed one of the best places in the town to people watch and enjoy a well-made classic cocktail.

Notable literary alcoholics such as William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and Ernest Hemingway have all graced its well-worn bar stools.

Is there anywhere you haven’t gotten drunk, Ernest?

And its circular bar does actually look like an antique carousel, and accordingly, spins around in a circle. But don’t worry, it only makes a full rotation every 15 minutes. So no matter how many drinks you’ve had, you probably won’t fall off.

Then again, you are in New Orleans…

So I sidled up to the reception desk and asked if the bar was open. Sadly, due to pandemic social-distancing restrictions, I was informed that the revolving area was currently roped off. All I could do was order a drink from the side bar and then leave to enjoy it in the hotel lobby. “Well, I’ve come this far. I’m not going home empty-handed.”

A Local History Lesson

I order the Vieux Carre and asked the bartender if he could tell me any historical anecdotes about its origins. But as I watched him start to construct the cocktail, I noticed that it was going to be served to me in a plastic cup.

My heart just sank…Lord, the injustice! Can this pandemic please end already?

Luckily, like many New Orleanians, my bartender was the talkative sort and knew how to mix a proper drink. He explained to me that the Vieux Carre was indeed created at the hotel by the head bartender named Walter Bergeron back in 1938. He was inspired to invent a cocktail that represented the different nationalities of New Orleans and came up with a combination of 6 ingredients.

Much like the other famed NOLA classic cocktail, the Sazerac, the Vieux Carre is a delicious homage to the cultures that have made the city the famous melting pot we know today. Rye whiskey for the Americans, Cognac, and Benedictine for the French, Vermouth for the Italians and Bitters for the Caribbean Creoles.

How Do You Pronounce Vieux Carre???

Finally, the burning question that’s probably been keeping you up at night: how in the heck do you say the name of this freakin’ cocktail? Being culturally illiterate and not speaking a word of Le Francaise myself, I actually had to look it up on Google Translate. Apparently, the correct
pronunciation is “View kaRAY”

And in case you were also wondering, Vieux Carre literally translated means “Old Square” and was the original name for the French Quarter, built around the plaza of Jackson Square.

French has sadly died out as a living language in New Orleans, but if you’re coming by car you can still find a “Vieux Carre” offramp to take you into the Quarter. Many a tourist over the years has been severely confused by this freeway exit.

What Does It Taste Like?

As I sipped my large and rather expensive drink out of a dixie cup in the not unpleasant surroundings of the Monteleone lobby, I took in its various flavors and to my surprise found it to be a complex and well-balanced cocktail.

I’m not a fan of sweet cocktails, but the Vieux Carre pulls it off nicely.

The first thing to hit you is the burn of the spicy Rye and Cognac. Then the honey and vanilla notes of the Benedictine and Sweet Vermouth come in. Finally, the combination of both the Peychaud’s and Angostura Bitters end the journey with their distinctive herbal bite offsetting the previous sweetness.

I liked it more than I thought I would, and definitely suggest you make it part of your repertoire for your home bar.

How To Make The Vieux Carre Cocktail

Equipment:

• Mixing Glass or Shaker
• Barspoon
• Strainer
• Ice
• Rocks Glass

Ingredients:

• 3/4oz Cognac
• 3/4oz Rye Whiskey
• 3/4oz Sweet Vermouth
• 1/4oz Benedictine Liqueur
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitter
• Garnish: Lemon Peel or Maraschino Cherry

How to make it:

• Add all your liquid ingredients to your mixing glass.
• Add ice to both your mixer and your rocks glass.
• Stir for 30 seconds with your bar spoon.
• Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with either a lemon peel or cherry (the bar used both)

This post was written by Greg Goldblatt. At times, he could be called a world-traveling vagabond, but for now, he resides in New Orleans, LA. He’s a self-professed whiskey snob, and in no particular order spends his days taking care of his 1-yr old toddler and bartending in the tasting room at Nola Distillery. 

Check out Greg’s other NOLA focused post about the Sazerac cocktail.