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1 fl oz Apple Brandy (Laird’s Old)

2⁄3 fl oz Straight rye whiskey (High West Midwinter Night's Dram)

2⁄3 fl oz Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino

1⁄6 fl oz Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur

2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

2 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into prechilled DOF glass over a large cube of block ice. Express lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

An autumnal twist on a Vieux Carré made with Apple Brandy. The port finish on the MND plays well with a lighter red vermouth to work with, but not cover up, the Apple Brandy.

The herbal mix from the Benedictine brings a kind of spiced apple rings flavor that appeals. Bitters with a bit more clove-forward character would also work well here.

The cocktail might also benefit by using a high proof BIB Apple Brandy. The apple flavor itself is more prevalent on the finish after the other components have faded. All in all a nice variation on the original.

Excellent! I used Carpano Antica Formula, which is a strongly flavored vermouth, so I lightened up that proportion just a tad. A new favorite!

Oddly minty with an almost sour apple aftertaste, not my thing but certainly interesting.

Kaitlin's finest creation.

the next vieux carré variation I try that isn't great will be the first

Like how the Peychaud's peeks out just enough.♡

@Harrison Marshall, I agree. It seems to me that Orchard "View" is a clear play on "Vieux" Carre. The template for the two drinks is identical. This is an interesting twist on the NOLA classic, with the calvados taking the front seat and rye playing a supporting role. If you enjoy a Vieux Carre and you like calvados, you'll enjoy the Orchard View. Do yourself a favor and use a lighter sweet vermouth. Carpano Antica will overwhelm the calvados. Cinzano works quite well.

@Harrison Marshall, I agree. It seems to me that Orchard "View" is a clear play on "Vieux" Carre. The template for the two drinks is identical.

This is an interesting twist on the NOLA classic, with the calvados taking the front seat and rye playing a supporting role. If you enjoy a Vieux Carre and you like calvados, you'll enjoy the Orchard View.

Wonderful late night drinking with tremendous depth of flavour. Manhattan meets upstate meets New Orleans.

I love the cocktail as I am a big fan of Avallen, but recently, I did a riff on the recipe, replacing the Whisky with Xante Pear Liqueur and infusing the Vermouth with coffee. It is a fantastic pairing, and I hope you can try it. I loved it so much that I added the recipe to my profile here.

For my palate, this is very reminiscent of an Old Fashioned.
I thought of this as an "Old Fashioned" with an apple finish. Very nice

Wow, I did not expect to get such a good cocktail from this recipe!

From reading rather than tasting, this seems more like a Vieux Carre than a Manhattan - not that I care as long as it tastes as good as either cocktail. About an hour until I find out!