AI Recipes: Vieux Carre Cocktail: Classic New Orleans Rye, Cognac and Sweet Vermouth Stirred Sipper

Chill a rocks glass by filling it with ice and water while you build the drink, or keep one in the freezer.

Serves 1

Ingredients

Chill a rocks glass by filling it with ice and water while you build the drink, or keep one in the freezer.
Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full with good ice. Add the rye, cognac, sweet vermouth, Benedictine and both bitters.
Stir steadily with a bar spoon for 30 to 40 seconds. You are looking for the drink to become ice-cold, slightly diluted and silky; stirring rather than shaking keeps it clear and velvety.
Empty the ice water from the rocks glass and drop in one large, clear ice cube. A single big cube melts slowly and keeps the drink from getting watery.
Strain the cocktail over the ice cube.
Hold the lemon peel skin-side down over the glass and give it a firm pinch to spray its oils across the surface, then rub the rim and drop it in. Add a cherry if you like.
Serve immediately and sip slowly. The drink opens up as the ice melts, so take your time and let the spice, herbs and brandy unfold.
The Vieux Carre, meaning old square and pronounced voo ka-RAY, was created in 1938 by Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, and it is still served at the hotel's slowly revolving Carousel Bar today. Each ingredient nods to a culture that shaped the French Quarter: rye for America, cognac for France, vermouth for Italy, and Benedictine for the monks who first distilled it. It is a cousin of the Manhattan and the Sazerac, richer and more herbal than either, and one of the great cocktails for a cool autumn evening by the fire.

📷 Photos are for inspiration and may not exactly represent the finished dish.