Bénédictine

[pete k]

I recently got a bottle and I'm wondering if any hounds can give me some tips/recipes/ideas...anything would be helpful.

Thanks in advance..

[kagemusha49]

Well, obviously a mixture of Benedictine and cognac is so popular that they sell it premixed as B&B - pretty nice. Buy it that way or mix it yourself. I actually visited the Benedictine museum in Fecamp (Normandy area of France) - it's an interesting place to visit and is a strange mixture of something like a Ripley's believe-it-or-not type of chateau and a museum of liqeur blending.

[theregoesnorman]

One of the only vodka drinks I like highlights Benedictine:

The Gypsy

1 1/2 oz Vodka
3/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura

Some recipes call for 1 3/4 oz, but I find 1 1/2 suffices, and it's easier to mix with my jiggers at home. I used Grey Goose, but only because the bottle's been in my fridge for years. I've also tried a variation with B&B, and it's quite good as well.

Has anyone ever tried something like this with yellow Chartreuse? Might be an interesting drink...

[JK Grence the Cosmic Jester]

A classic use of Bénédictine is in the Singapore Sling:

1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 ounces gin
1 ounce Cherry Heering
1/2 ounce Bénédictine
1/2 ounce brandy
Shake well with ice cubes, strain into a tall glass, add 1-1/2 ounces club soda, add ice cubes to fill. Garnish with an orange slice and mint sprig.

The full-size recipe is, as you can see, quite potent. When I'm behind the stick I make people half-size ones.

[jaykayen]

I love the Chrysanthemum as an aperitif cocktail:

2 oz dry vermouth
1 oz Benedictine
1 tsp absinthe

stir and strain into cocktail glass. garnish with a slice of expressed orange peel (the orange peel is a must!)

[yarm]

One good egg white one that I tried recently:

Jubilant
1/2 Booth's Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Beefeater)
1/4 Benedictine (3/4 oz)
1/8 Lemon Juice (3/8 oz)
1/8 Orange Juice (3/8 oz)
1 Egg White
Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a cocktail glass.

A classic I was introduced to at Easter Standard:

Frisco Sour
1 1/2 oz Rye (Bourbon would work well here)
3/4 oz Benedictine
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass.

And a good intro to the spirit, and riff on the Manhattan (has horse racing roots) that I was introduced to at Green Street here in Cambridge, MA:

Preakness
1 1/2 oz Rye
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 barspoon Benedictine (1/8 oz although some recipes as high as 1/4 oz)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Stir with ice and strain. Garnish with a cocktail cherry if you so feel like it.

http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/

[davis_sq_pro]

Preakness is awesome. I like to cut back on the vermouth a bit and up the Benedictine to 1/4oz. It gives the drink an amazing smooth mouthfeel.

Another great drink is Monte Cassino:

3/4 oz each: Benedictine, yellow Chartreuse, lemon juice, rye
Shake/strain

Benedictine + yellow Chartreuse is one of those alchemical, greater than the sum of its parts mixtures in the world of mixology. Really a fantastic combination.

[pete k]

Thank you!

Surprisingly I have most everything stocked already. I recently picked up some Hendrick's and couldn't really get into it, or most gins for that matter. Do you have any recommendations for a starter gin?

It sounds like I need to add Chartreuse to my bar, unfortunately it's a bit on the pricey side here locally. Any suggestions?

[hawkeyeui93]

As far as answering the "starter gin" question, I find Boodles and Bombay Regular [not Sapphire] to be excellent representations of London Dry Gin.

[yarm]

Bombay Dry is a great gin! It or Beefeater make great 1.75L house gin selections (i.e.: good for most drinks, perhaps buy a $30/750mL bottle for special drinks). Both of those run around $28 for that larger size.

A great starter gin is Plymouth. It's lighter than most but it is still a decent dry gin style that will get you moving in the direction of more robust ones.

[lowereastrittenhouse]

Chartreuse is expensive, no way around it. You can sometimes find 375ml bottles - not as good a value but they require less sunk cost in your bar. Make sure you like the taste of Chartreuse first - I love it, but many don't.

+1 on the suggestion of Plymouth gin.

[sku]

Benedictine adds a nice sweet spice to whiskey in cocktails. Here are a few that I like:

Vieux Carre

3/4 ounce rye whiskey
3/4 ounce brandy
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1/8 ounce Benedictine
1 dash Peychaud's bitters
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Stir everything with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

Cocktail a la Louisiane

3/4 ounce rye whiskey
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce Benedictine
3 dash absinthe
3 dash Peychaud's bitters
Garnish with a cherry.
Stir everything with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

White Manhattan

1 1/2 ounces white whiskey
1/2 ounce Benedictine
1/2 ounce blanc vermouth
3 dashes orange bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

[pete k]

Excellent, thank you.

I found this one that I've had at a bar locally. Doesn't seem too difficult to recreate.

Daisy If You Do
Description
Bourbon, Amaro, Bénédictine, Whiskey Barrel Aged bitters, Agave nectar, Grapefruit juice, Lemon
Ingredients
2 sli Lemon (muddled)
2 oz Bourbon, Four Roses
1⁄2 oz Bénédictine
1⁄2 oz Agave nectar
1⁄2 oz Grapefruit juice
2 ds Whiskey Barrel Aged bitters, Fee Brothers
1⁄2 oz Amaro, CioCiaro (float)
2 sli Lemon (halved, dusted with nutmeg, as garnish)

[lowereastrittenhouse]

The Vieux Carre is one of my favorites.

Benedictine is also an important ingredient in the Singapore Sling, though it's more of a supporting role.