The Vieux Carré Cocktail

The Vieux Carré Cocktail is a rich cocktail named after the famous French Quarter. 

Cognac, rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, Peychaud's and angostura bitters create a complex and amazing drink! 

You know what I love about cocktails?  There are a million of them.  Every day I find a new one that I had never heard of before. 

I was looking for cognac cocktail recipes and came across the Vieux Carré Cocktail.  It was created in the 1930's by Walter Bergeron of the historic Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Thanks to my ever expanding liquor cabinet, I had everything I needed to make this classic cocktail.  

This is a cocktail that we absolutely loved! 

Ingredients.

• Brandy or Cognac - we had more cognac than brandy, so that is what we went with.  You could easily turn this into a seasonal cocktail by using a fruit brandy - like apple or pear. 
• Rye Whiskey - Adds a sweet spiciness to the cocktail. 
• Sweet Vermouth - this smooths out the alcohol forwardness of the cognac and the whiskey.  If you'd like a drier cocktail, you could use a dry vermouth. 
• Bénédictine - this is an herbal French liqueur.  It's made from 27 different flowers, herbs, berries and spices.  The flavor is very intriguing like a fruity, herby honey.  You could also try Chartreuse in the recipe.
• Peychaud's Bitters - is a little sweeter than Angostura bitters and has a fruity quality.  If you can't find Peychaud's (I got mine on Amazon, you can use more Angostura, but I really encourage you to try find Peychaud's.)  I compare having bitters for cocktail making to having spices for cooking. 
• Angostura Bitters - the king of bitters, the one that almost everyone has.  

Step by step instructions.

In a mixing glass add pour 1 ounce of cognac or brandy. 

Add 1 ounce of rye whiskey to the glass.

Pour in one ounce of sweet vermouth.

Add 1 teaspoon of Bénédictine to the glass.

Add a dash of Peychaud's Bitters and Angostura Bitters - note a dash is ⅛ of a teaspoon. 

Add ice and stir until chilled - about 30 seconds.  You are chilling the cocktail and properly diluting it. 

Strain into an ice filled rocks glass. 

Garnish with a cherry - I used my Homemade Maraschino Cherries (insanely good!)

This was soooo good.  It was rich and complex, I can't even think of a cocktail to compare it to.  A little sweet, a little bitter, a little herby - it had everything. 

We were planning on trying another cocktail recipe that evening, but we liked this one so much we had seconds!  

More Cognac (Brandy) Cocktails

If you love Tiki cocktails, and who doesn't, you have to try a Scorpion Cocktail! 

One of the most popular liqueurs on the blog, this Winter Solstice Brew is perfect to make now and sip all year! 

Cherry brandy is the star ingredient in the East Wing Martini - making it extra delicious! 

Recipe.

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