Name: Old Square
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Rye whiskey 50% abv; 30 ml Armagnac brandy; 15 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 10 ml Bénédictine D.O.M.; 10 ml Oloroso sherry; 2 dash Creole bitters; 2 dash Aromatic bitters

Old Square
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Glass:

Photographed in an UB 1910 Old Fashioned 10.5oz

Ingredients:
1 fl oz	Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
1 fl oz	Armagnac brandy
¹⁄₂ fl oz	Strucchi Rosso Vermouth chilled
¹⁄₃ fl oz	Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur
¹⁄₃ fl oz	Lustau Oloroso Don Nuño Sherry chilled
2 dash	Peychaud's or other Creole-style bitters
2 dash	Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
Prepare garnish of lemon and orange zest twists.

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice).

Garnish:

Express lemon and orange zest twists over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Rosso/rouge/sweet vermouth (di Torino), Oloroso sherry - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

A riff on a Vieux Carré with armagnac in place of cognac, and sherry adding an extra dimension.

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History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2025 by Danny Childs at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Nutrition:

One serving of Old Square contains 201 calories

Alcohol content:

2 standard drinks
29.39% alc./vol. (58.78° proof)
28.3 grams of pure alcohol

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Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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C N

3rd May at 01:17

I am enjoying this so much. The orange and lemon oils bring this up several notches. This is going into my personal Bar Book.

Chris Brislawn

23rd April at 03:09

The cognac in a Vieux Carre' lightens and softens the rye, but the armagnac in the Old Square also adds a layer of its own flavor and richness, especially if your bottle has been sitting around as long as mine has (Dartigalongue Hors d'Age, opened some time back in the late 20th century). Replacing some of the rosso in a Vieux Carre' by oloroso sherry adds another layer of complexity and richness as well without making it sweeter; the sweetness is about right as specified here. An excellent Vieux Carre' variant.

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