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The French herbal liqueur Benedictine made its mark on the alcohol market in 1873. Its creator was the wine merchant Alexander Legrand, who lived in the Norman seaside town of Fécamp.
History of Benedictine
To give a noble charm to the new drink, a legend was invented linking the emergence of the elixir with the local Benedictine monastery that existed in the neighborhood since 1001. To this end, the resourceful Legrand even traveled to Rome to negotiate with the general of the Order of St. Benedict on the transfer of copyright for the production of the drink. A tribute to the legend was the image on the bottles of Benedictine of the abbreviation “DOM”, which is the initial letters of the Catholic initiatory formula “Deo Optimo Maximo” (To God the Most Benevolent Greatest – lat.).
Subsequently, Benedictine, thanks to its remarkable taste, gained worldwide fame, which attracted the attention of the largest alcohol companies. As a result, Bacardi became the undivided owner of the brand.
Composition and varieties of Benedictine
According to official data, the composition of the herbal elixir, the secret of which, as usual, is known only to three inhabitants of the globe, in addition to water and beet alcohol, includes 27 ingredients. Among them, it was possible to calculate the following: acacia honey, myrrh, ambergris, fir buds (according to another version – spruce cones), thyme, arnica, hyssop, saffron, juniper, lemon balm, tea leaves, mint, aloe, angelica, orange and lemon peel, vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, coriander and nutmeg.
All the above components (with the exception of honey) are divided into four groups, infused, distilled, mixed and sent to oak barrels for 8 months. Then the drink is flavored with honey, heated, filtered, diluted to forty degrees and finally ripens within a few more months. The result is a rich yellow-green decoction with vanilla notes in the aroma, a characteristic bitter aftertaste and a persistent honey aftertaste.
In addition to the basic (Ordinary) version of the drink, there are two more varieties of it:
B&B – a blend of Benedictine and cognac brandy mixed in a 1: 1 ratio, which was especially successful in the 30s of the last century.
Benedictine Single Cask is a non-exportable premium drink produced in limited quantities since 1984. Its distinguishing features are an additional two-year exposure and a stylish black bottle.
In many countries, including the former USSR, repeated attempts were made to produce imitations of Benedictine more or less close to the original. In the museum, created in the small homeland of the liquor, there is even a special room dedicated to this kind of fakes.
Analogues Benedictine
If we talk about the drinks closest to him, then among them, with a certain degree of conventionality, we can name: Chartreuse, Becherovka, Vana Tallinn and, perhaps, Drambouilly.
How to drink Benedictine
In its pure form, the drink we are interested in is consumed exclusively after a meal as a digestif. It is served in liqueur glasses with a small ice cube.
Benedictine is also very good as an additive to tea or coffee.
Among the many cocktails that use the mentioned liquor, it is especially worth highlighting: “Bobby Burns”, “Lady Dee” and “Singapore Sling”.
Bobby Burns
Ingredients
Benedictine – 2-3 drops
Scotch whiskey – 40 ml
Red vermouth – 40 ml
Lemon – 1 slice
Method of preparation
Mix all liquids in a shaker with ice.
Pour through a strainer into a cocktail glass.
Squeeze a lemon into it and lower the slice itself to the bottom.
Lady Di
Ingredients
Benedictine – 10 мл
Dry London Gin – 20 ml
Orange juice – 20 ml
Orange bitter – 2 dashes
Syrup Grenadine – 5 ml
Champagne – to taste
Sugars – 5 g
Orange – 0,5 cup
Cocktail cherry – 1 piece
Method of preparation
Shake all liquids except champagne in a shaker with ice.
Pour through a strainer into a glass.
Add champagne and mix gently.
Decorate the glass with a sugar rim.
Decorate with cherry and orange strung on a skewer.
Singapore sling
Ingredients
Benedictine – 1 drop
Dry London Gin – 30 ml
Cherry liqueur – 10 ml
Cointreau liqueur – 1 drop
Angostura – 1 drop
Pineapple juice – 60 ml
Lime juice – 40 ml
Pineapple – 1 slice
Cocktail cherry – 1 piece
Method of preparation
Shake alcoholic drinks in a shaker with ice.
Pour through a strainer into a highball glass with a few ice cubes.
Add lime juice.
Pour in pineapple juice.
Garnish the glass with fruit on a skewer.
Anabel
Ingredients
Benedictine – 40 мл
White dry vermouth – 5 ml
Lime juice – 5 ml
Method of preparation
Pour all ingredients into a small glass with crushed ice.
Mix well.
English
Ingredients
Benedictine – 50 мл
Dry London Gin – 15 ml
Lemon juice – 150 ml
Method of preparation
Mix everything in a shaker with ice.
Pour through a strainer into a tall glass with ice.
Serve with a cocktail tube.
April shower
Ingredients
Benedictine – 10 мл
Ordinary brandy or cognac – 40 ml
Orange juice – 40 ml
Method of preparation
Shake all liquids in a shaker with ice.
Pour through a strainer into a glass.
Khreshchatyk
Ingredients
Benedictine – 20 мл
Ordinary brandy or cognac – 40 ml
Lemon liqueur – 20 ml
Lemon juice – 30 ml
Orange – 1 slice
Pineapple – 1 slice
Method of preparation
Mix all alcohol in a glass with ice.
Add juice.
Mix well.
Decorate the glass with fruit.
Mar del Plata
Ingredients
Benedictine – 10 мл
Ordinary brandy or cognac – 30 ml
White dry vermouth – 20 ml
Lemon – 1 slice
Method of preparation
Combine all liquids in a mixing glass with ice.
Strain through a strainer into a glass.
Squeeze out the lemon and lower it to the bottom.
Honeymoon-2
Ingredients
Benedictine – 15 мл
Calvados – 30 ml
Cointreau liqueur – 15 ml
Lemon juice – 15 ml
Method of preparation
Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
Strain through a strainer into a glass.
Patriarch
Ingredients
Benedictine – 30 мл
Vodka – 50 ml
Lemon juice – 5 ml
Grenadine syrup – 1 desh
Method of preparation
Fill a mixing glass one-third full with ice.
Mix all ingredients in it.
Pour through a strainer into a glass.
Slavic
Ingredients
Benedictine – 15 мл
Ordinary brandy or cognac – 30 ml
Lemon liqueur – 40 ml
Sherry – 30 ml
Lemon – 1 slice
Cocktail cherry – 1 piece
Method of preparation
Shake all liquids in a shaker with ice.
Pour through a strainer into a glass.
Place a cherry in the bottom of a glass.
Decorate the edge of the container with lemon.
Relevance: 28.11.2017
Tags: Liqueurs, Pourings, Liqueurs, Brands of liqueurs