How to Make a Vieux Carré, the New Orleans Version of the Classic Manhattan Cocktail

It's essentially, it's a Manhattan with southern charm. What could be better than that? So, there is a tradition among Manhattan variations to name them after the neighborhood in which they were invented. Manhattan, obviously from Manhattan. And then there's the Brooklyn, which is rye dry vermouth this time with a couple liqueurs, maraschino liqueur and americano, it's delicious. Then there's the Bronx, which is gin, sweet and dry vermouth and orange juice. By the way, the reason you've never had one is that it's not very good. But, nonetheless. Then there is the Carroll Gardens and the Greenpoint and the Red Hook and the Fort Point. All Manhattan variations, all named after the neighborhoods in which they were invented. So, the Vucaray is a proud member of this club. Vucaray is what they call the French Quarter down in New Orleans. This is a Manhattan variation from the French Quarter that was invented in 1937, just after Prohibition. But, how we make it is the same. To make a Vucaray, first thing we're going to do is start with our bitters. So, it is two dashes of Angostura and two good dashes of Pechade's bitters. Pechade's is New Orleans' own bitters. Angostura is more cinnamon and clove. Pechade's is more like anise and mint, a little cherry. And it adds a little bit of hometown depth. The next thing we're going to do is add Benedictine as a sweetener. Benedictine is a liqueur. They claim that they were invented in 1510. This is not true, but it still has a long history. It was invented in 1868. And it is 27 ingredients. It is 80 proof. It tastes like cinnamon and nutmeg and honey. And a bunch of other things. And here we are using one quarter ounce. Just for a little complex sweetness. Now, into what makes it a Manhattan variation. So, we're doing sweet vermouth. I personally like Carpano Antica here. Any sweet vermouth is going to work. But, I like the power of Carpano Antica in this particular drink. And I like to use three quarters of one ounce. We've got bitters. We've got vermouth. Now, to be a Manhattan variation, we need spirit. So, ordinarily, you would do two ounces of rye. That would make a Manhattan. We're doing one ounce of rye and one ounce of cognac. Which is another very New Orleans choice. So, do a split base. One ounce rye, one ounce cognac. As for the rye, I'm using Rittenhouse. Which is 100 proof. I like rye with a backbone here. It doesn't need to be that old or that rich. What it's doing here is providing the proof and providing the spice. So, I actually prefer a younger rye. As for cognac. So, the younger the cognac, the more inherent fruity characters come out. And then, as it gets older, as it ages longer, it starts to take on the rich, woody kind of depth that we generally think of when we think of cognac. Younger cognacs have their place in cocktails, for sure. In fact, more often than perhaps older cognacs. For this drink, I like an older cognac. I think the rich, supple, woody notes are really what helps this cocktail be its best self. And we are doing one ounce of that. And now we add ice and we stir. The difference between shaking cocktails and stirring cocktails is that shaking also aerates. So, it breathes a lot of air into the system. Whereas, stirring just chills and dilutes. And that's what we want here. We want to preserve the silky texture. Which is why you don't shake Manhattans. The length that you stir depends on the quality of the ice. The smaller the ice, the less time you need. This particular drink likes to be stirred just a touch longer than others. So, I'm going 20 seconds or so. And then we strain into a coupe or sour glass. It is traditional to serve this drink on ice. That's what they do at the Hotel Mont-Leon. And I would never say that's wrong. I personally like to serve it up. I think as it warms, the herbal interplay between the Benedictine and the Vermouth is one of the principal joys of this drink. And also traditional is to garnish this with a cherry. But I think it is absolutely begging for a lemon peel. So, that's what I like to do. The Vucaray. I love this drink. It's one of my favorite drinks in the world. There's a writer named Chuck Hausterman who's got this line about Led Zeppelin where he says, Listening to Led Zeppelin makes you feel like the cooler version of yourself that you always thought was inside of you. That's kind of how I feel about the Vucaray. For elegance and sophistication. It's like being at the coolest bar in the city and everyone knows your name. It is strong and smooth and complex and fascinating. It makes you feel more sophisticated just for being in its company.