The Vieux Carre Cocktail
Clair Mclafferty is an expert on Southern cocktails, so we’ve asked her to give us a series of recipes: classic Southern drinks that you and your guests will doubtless enjoy.
The middle of February is one of the hardest times of year to match with a drink. You might disagree – perhaps this is the season for bourbon by the fire to warm the bones or some tropical tipple to remind you of warmer days. But for me, it’s not so easy. After 22 years of Alabama winters, the combination of weathering a true Pittsburgh winter and trying to pick out the perfect cocktail to christen this series has left my glass almost empty.
But the South, as always, calls me back. I want the promise of sticky hot summers, milder winters, and maybe – just maybe – snow that lasts only long enough (but no longer) to paint a fleeting and beautiful scene.
Once I started puzzling it through, I realized nothing in my mind outshone the classics that had come out of New Orleans, and from there it was a matter of narrowing down the choices. Brandy cocktails won the field, as the spirit was omnipresent across the South far before Prohibition. More affordable brandy would have been made from whatever fruits were native to an area, but the best was imported … at least before the aphids invaded.
To avoid the low-hanging fruit (pun absolutely intended), today’s cocktail is the Vieux Carré. Literally translating as “The Old Square,” this drink is named after the old French name for the French Quarter. As far as classics go, it brings together ingredients from all over the globe, which in the 1930s the seaport of New Orleans would have received. Though it didn’t make its way into print until 1937’s Famous New Orleans Drinks and How To Mix ’Em, it has held on, if you know where to look.
This cocktail is a variation on the Manhattan, with cognac added to temper the rye whiskey, plus some honey and spices from the Bénédictine. Like its more visible cousin, it is slightly bitter, a touch herbaceous, sweeter than not, and more than a bit boozy, so if you’re looking for something to chase away the cold, it’ll do you well. But if you’re longing for warmer afternoons and longer days, just remember – the smell of honeysuckle and hot grills is on its way.
The Recipe
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
- 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
- 1 teaspoon Bénédictine
- 3/4 ounce rye whiskey
- 3/4 ounce cognac
- 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
- Maraschino cherry or lemon twist, for garnish
Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice, and stir for 15-20 seconds, or until chilled through. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with the cherry or lemon twist.