Many cocktails have New Orleans as their place of origin in their birth certificate. One of them is Vieux Carré, which is even named after part of this city. And Tipsy Banker Honza Veselý focused his attention on a drink that is aimed at whiskey and cognac lovers at the same time.
The historic heart of New Orleans is the French Quarter, which is also known as the Vieux Carré. The oldest buildings in this district date back to the days when Louisiana was ruled by Spaniards, who made a significant contribution to the nature of the construction at the time. However, much of it was destroyed by two major fires in 1788 and 1794, so most of the existing buildings date back to the 19th century, when much of Louisiana, including New Orleans, became part of the United States. The city has become a major international port and its population has increased tenfold in fifty years. The growing number of inhabitants and visitors to the city brought with it a significant increase in the number of restaurants, bars and also hotels.
One in 1886 on the corner of Royal and Iberville streets was bought by Antonio Monteleone. It first operated under the original name Commercial Hotel, but in 1908 it gave it its name, under which it was subsequently administered by five more generations of Monteleons. Over the decades, the building has undergone many reconstructions, which have continuously increased its capacity. The current form has its roots in 1954.
The Carousel Bar & Lounge was built five years earlier. Its dominant feature is an island bar for twenty-five guests, which is conceived as a carousel and actually turns every fifteen minutes. If you should only have one drink here, it should definitely be the Vieux Carré, which was created at the Hotel Monteleone, before Carousel. Its author is the chief bartender of the then hotel bar Walter Bergeron. The exact year of the cocktail's origin is unknown, but it was sometime in the 1930s, before November 1937, when the book Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'em was first published, which already includes the recipe. Vieux Carré has something from both Manhattan and Sazerac. His recipe includes a piece of rye whiskey and cognac, the same amount of sweet vermouth, and then a spoonful of Bénédictine and a splash of Peychaud’s and Angostura bitters.
It is prepared in a mixing glass and served on ice in a rock glass. Lemon peel serves optimally as a garnish, although some older versions of the recipe dictate reaching for pineapple and cocktail cherries. Tipsy Banker Honza Veselý decided to replace rye whiskey with bourbon, which he said will soften and lighten the drink. "But I wouldn't be afraid to go even further - to use armagnac instead of cognac and some smoky whiskey instead of rye whiskey, like my favorite Bruichladdich. This combination of moving Vieux Carré to another level and will give it the popular smokyness of many guests, "he adds.
17 сен 2024
