# Vieux Carré cocktails **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vieux-carre-cocktails/848446 "2020-02-24T18:38:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vieux-carre-cocktails/848446/1 "2020-02-24T18:38:24Z")
I know I’ve mentioned that since the office Christmas party, [Vieux Carré cocktails](https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/vieux-carre-11620) are my new favourite drink. I had three at the party, and then didn’t have another until a few weeks ago at a ‘Cajun’ restaurant in Bellingham. Discovering a $50 gift card I got a few years ago, and using $34 off of another $50 gift card my boss gave me for Christmas, For a total of about $140, I bought the ingredients Saturday. I had five Saturday night, and five Sunday night. (Mrs. L.A. had nine over two nights.) Curiously, they didn’t make me drunk. Or not so curiously. They’re so good it takes a while to drink them, savouring every sip. Too bad I can’t afford them regularly. Nice for a splurge, though. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vieux-carre-cocktails/848446/2 "2020-02-24T20:29:35Z")
That’s just a Manhattan with extra ingredients. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vieux-carre-cocktails/848446/3 "2020-02-24T21:24:46Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > That’s just a Manhattan with extra ingredients. > > CMC fnord! And the proportions are changed as well. It sure doesn’t taste like a Manhattan, that’s for sure. FWIW, a lot of cocktails of similar vintage use sweet and/or dry vermouth with all sorts of base spirits. Personally I’m kind of partial to the Bijou, which is similar to the Vieux Carre, being: 1 oz Chartreuse (green) 1 oz sweet vermouth 1 oz Gin 1 dash orange bitters. **Johnny LA** , what cost you so much? I’d have thought you could get everything for a solid Vieux Carre for a little more than half what you quote (maybe $80). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vieux-carre-cocktails/848446/4 "2020-02-24T21:34:47Z")
_Really_ good cognac. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vieux-carre-cocktails/848446/5 "2020-02-24T22:03:08Z")
> [@bump](#): > > **Johnny LA** , what cost you so much? I’d have thought you could get everything for a solid Vieux Carre for a little more than half what you quote (maybe $80). Bulleit Rye, $34 including taxes Courvoisier cognac, $33 plus spirit tax and sales tax Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth, $11 plus sales tax DOM Benedictine liqueur, $25 plus spirit tax and sales tax Peychaud bitters, $7 Figure about $7 or so for the spirit taxes, and sales tax is just under 10%. Total expenditure might have been closer to $130 for those ingredients; but I did buy Angostura bitters (Mrs. L.A. likes it in soup) earlier, and it was like $12 for a four ounce bottle from the supermarket. So right around $140 in all. Still, they’re $9 each at the restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vieux-carre-cocktails/848446/6 "2020-02-24T22:07:24Z")
What are spirit taxes and why dont they apply to the rye? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vieux-carre-cocktails/848446/7 "2020-02-24T22:15:39Z")
Bénédictine is a fun liqueur. I’ve played with Old Fashioned-like recipes, and tried a side-by-side comparison of one with a tsp of it and the other without. While I’ probably couldn’t definitively identify the taste of the Bénédictine, the one with it has a lot more going on and just tastes better. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vieux-carre-cocktails/848446/8 "2020-02-24T22:17:13Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > What are spirit taxes and why dont they apply to the rye? When Washington started allowing spirits to be sold at other than state liquor stores, the deal was that there would be a [tax on spirits](https://dor.wa.gov/about/statistics-reports/spirits-taxes). [quote] **Spirits sales tax** is based on the selling price of spirits in the original package. [ul][li]The rate paid by the general public is 20.5%.[/li][li]The rate paid by on-premises retailers such as restaurants and bars on purchases from distributors and distillers is 13.7%.[/ul][/li] **Spirits liter tax** is based on the volume of spirits being sold in the original package. [ul][li]The rate paid by the general public is $3.7708 per liter.[/li][li]The rate paid by on-premises retailers such as restaurants and bars on the purchases from distributors and distillers is $2.4408 per liter.[/ul][/li][/quote] The rye was taxed; but I bought it at Trader Joe’s, which was cheaper than Bevmo! I happen to have the receipt from Bevmo!, but no longer have the receipt from Trader Joe’s. That’s why I listed it as ‘including taxes’.