unforgettable · stirred
Vieux Carré recipe
New Orleans in a glass: rye, cognac, vermouth, Bénédictine, bitters.
A Vieux Carré is 30 ml (28.2 g) Rye Whiskey, 30 ml (28.2 g) Cognac, 30 ml (31.5 g) Sweet Vermouth, 5 ml (5.6 g) Bénédictine, 1 ml (1 g) Peychaud's Bitters and 1 ml (1 g) Angostura Bitters, stirred and served in a rocks (old fashioned) glass. It pours to about 97 ml before ice, at roughly 32.6% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glassrocks (old fashioned) glass
- Methodstirred
- Pour volume97 ml
- Strength (est.)32.6% ABV
- Time6 min
Vieux Carré ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rye Whiskey | 30 ml | 28.2 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Cognac | 30 ml | 28.2 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Sweet Vermouth | 30 ml | 31.5 g | 1.05 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Bénédictine | 5 ml | 5.6 g | 1.12 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Peychaud's Bitters | 1 ml | — | 0.98 | 2 dashes |
| Angostura Bitters | 1 ml | — | 0.98 | 2 dashes |
How to make a Vieux Carré
- Set your rocks (old fashioned) glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Pour Rye Whiskey, Cognac, Sweet Vermouth, Bénédictine, Peychaud's Bitters and Angostura Bitters into a mixing glass, weighing each one as you go.
- Fill the mixing glass with hard, cold ice and stir for 20–30 seconds — until the outside frosts and the mix has dropped to roughly −2 °C.
- Strain into a chilled rocks (old fashioned) glass over one large cube.
Vieux Carré: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Vieux Carré?
Roughly 32.6% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Strong. This is a stirred, undiluted-style drink — one is a full measure.
What glass should a Vieux Carré be served in?
A rocks (old fashioned) glass. One large, clear cube melts slower than four small ones and keeps the drink from watering out.
Can I make a Vieux Carré without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
Why are some ingredients not weighed?
Dashes of bitters and rinses are too small to weigh reliably — a dash is roughly 0.8 ml, well inside the noise of any bar scale. Count them instead. Everything else in this Vieux Carré is weighed.
If you like the Vieux Carré
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Rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, stirred until very cold.
Toronto
Rye and Fernet — bitter, herbal, perfectly balanced.
Remember the Maine
A Manhattan riff with cherry liqueur and a rinse of absinthe.
Old Fashioned
The original cocktail. Whiskey, sugar, bitters.
Boulevardier
Bourbon instead of gin. The Negroni's brooding American cousin.
Tipperary
Irish whiskey, sweet vermouth and green Chartreuse. Emerald and warming.