Bénédictine. In the same realm as Chartreuse, Bénédictine is another one of those age-old (300+ yrs) herbal liqueurs from Europe (France) made with a blend of secret herbs and spices (27) that only a few (3) people know at one time. It’s sold as a 40% ABV standalone liqueur, as well as mixed with brandy – a product appropriately named B&B (Bénédictine&Brandy) which came about in the 30s due to the popular practice of mixing brandy with the liqueur.

Taste-wise, Bénédictine is complexly sweet and herbal with citrus & honey notes amongst many others that are harder to describe. It can be sipped on its own over ice, mixed with brandy/cognac for a classic homemade B&B, or my fav option: mixed into cocktails to add some delicious complexity and herbal tones.

Recipe

Here’s a classic simple recipe from the 30s to showcase the liqueur:

Bénédictine Cocktail

• 1oz cognac
• .5oz Benedictine
• .5oz lemon

Shake and strain into a coupe.

Find more recipes with Bénédictine here.