1/2 oz NOLA Coffee Liqueur
1 oz rye whiskey
1 oz cognac
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
2 dashes Angostura bitters
In the words of Crescent City historian Stanley Clisby Arthur, bartender Walter Bergeron created the Vieux Carré cocktail to “give honor to...that part of New Orleans where the antique shops and the iron lace balconies give sightseers a glance into the romance of another day.” The various ingredients are said to represent the heritage of the people who made up the “Old Square” of the city. The rye whiskey stands for America, the cognac for France, the vermouth for Italy and the bitters for the Creole people. Arthur doesn’t say what the Benedictine stood for, and as it comes from the same country as the cognac while adding little in terms of flavor, it seems expendable. Might we suggest replacing it with a liqueur that both transforms the drink and gives honor to the heritage of a people Bergeron declined to represent? NOLA Coffee Liqueur sings in this drink, making it both more aromatic and more rich. To mix, add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a coupe and serve up.
