Smooth, complex, herbaceous
Pair with pork belly, a BLT, or a thick, well-charred steak.
Wander into the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, and you’ll find guests sipping this potent drink developed in the ’30s by the hotel’s head bartender, Walter Bergeron. The French Quarter, or Vieux Carré, gives its name to this cocktail. Locals pronounce it “VOO-kray.” The original recipe appears in Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Fix ’Em (1937).
1 ounce (30 ml) rye whiskey (Sazerac)
1 ounce brandy (30 ml) (Pierre Ferrand Ambre)
½ ounce (15 ml) sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica)
¼ teaspoon Benedictine
Dash of Peychaud’s bitters
Dash of Angostura bitters
Lemon peel, for garnish
Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a large cube. To garnish, twist the peel over the surface of the cocktail to express the oil. Then, run the peel around the rim of the glass and drop it into the drink.