Bénédictine Liqueur: Alchemy Turned Alcohol and a Visit to the Palais Bénédictine

It is no secret that monks and monasteries across Europe had a talent for creating some of the best alcoholic beverages since the Middle Ages, from beer and wine to brandy and liqueur. Elixirs or ‘holy spirits’ were initially based on medicinal plants and spices.

The monks kept impeccable records of their recipes and worked systematically to improve the quality of their spirits. They believed that since they worked for God, a subpar quality beverage would be a grave offense. (You and me both, brother!)

One of those distilled beverages is Bénédictine Liqueur, an ancestral secret recipe hailing from the Abbey of the Trinity of Fécamp dating back to the 16th century. This old herbal liqueur with 27 herbs and spices (try not to say that with a Colonel Sanders voice, I dare you!) has a unique honey-sweetened spicy taste that is hard to recreate or substitute with another spirit.

What Is Bénédictine Liqueur?

Bénédictine is a French herbal liqueur made in Fécamp, on the Normandy coast, from a secret blend of 27 herbs and spices sweetened with honey. It is sweet, warmly spiced, and completely its own thing, which is why bartenders reach for it when no other bottle will do. Here is the story behind it, what it tastes like, and how to visit the palace where it is still made.

Dom Benedictine Liqueur

The origins of Bénédictine liqueur are somewhat hazy. Some say a Bénédictine monk, herbalist, and chemist, Dom Bernardo Vincelli, distilled the liqueur in 1510. In the Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy, Benedictine monks created this liqueur with a secret recipe blending herbs, local medicinal plants, and oriental spices, sweetened with honey.

The beverage was known as an elixir that was intended to revitalize old monks. The distillery ran smoothly until the French Revolution, when it was shut down. During the chaos of the Revolution, the recipe went missing until it was found once again some 300 years later.

The recipe was discovered by a Norman wine merchant, Alexandre Le Grand, in 1863, who revived the liqueur and started producing it in large quantities. He built a large distillery, Palais Bénédictine, where the liqueur is still made today.

While this seems to be the widely accepted origin story, some others believe that Le Grand developed the herbal liqueur with the help of a local chemist and ancient medicinal recipes passed down by his grandparents. For marketing purposes, he attached the story of monks brewing this liqueur in the Abbey of Fécamp until the French Revolution.

To introduce the liqueur, Le Grand ordered a special green glass bottle. He also obtained the right to use the name and the coat of arms of the Abbey of Fécamp from the Superior of the Benedictine Order in Rome. He added the letters “D.O.M” (Deo Optimo Maximo), the abbreviation used by the Benedictine Order in their documents. The words are a great way to remind the users of the liqueur’s origin.

One thing worth clearing up: Bénédictine has not actually been made by monks during its commercial life, despite the abbey story on the label. Today the brand belongs to the Bacardi group, though it is still distilled in Fécamp exactly where Le Grand built his palace.

The Benedictine Liqueur Recipe

The recipe for Bénédictine Liqueur is a closely guarded secret formula that is known to only three people at any given time. Only three copies of the recipe exist, kept safely in different locations. What we do know is that the technique uses 27 herbs and spices from around the world, carefully selected for the balance they strike in the elixir.

The secret chemistry of the ingredients is what gives the liqueur its unique taste and smell. To keep the formula under lock and key, only a select few ingredients are revealed to the public. Juniper, thyme, vanilla, coriander, myrrh, hyssop, saffron, mace, fir cones, aloe, arnica, lemon balm, and angelica roots are just some herbs used in the process.

During our tour of the Bénédictine Palace, we got to smell many of the herbs and spices individually, and there were some I was completely unaware of, like myrrh, that smelled wonderful.

Production

The 27 ingredients are divided into four groups, each combined with neutral spirits and slowly distilled in original copper pots. This process produces four distillates known as esprits, which are left to age in oak barrels made by the best French coopers.

After eight months of aging, the esprits are combined with honey and saffron to give them a rich texture and a special taste that balances the ingredients. The blend is double-heated to seal the flavor, then aged again for four months in oak tanks before being filtered and bottled for sale.

What does Bénédictine Liqueur taste like?

The best feature of the Bénédictine Liqueur is that it cannot be substituted with any other spirit, thanks to its herbal spicy-sweet taste. None of the 27 ingredients in the recipe dominates the spirit, and none make it taste like a regular herbal liqueur. Instead, Bénédictine has a sweet-honey flavor with accents of holiday spices, herbal tones, and nuances of stone fruits.

It is bottled at 40 percent alcohol (80 proof), so for all that honeyed sweetness there is real warmth underneath, and a little goes a long way.

Types of Bénédictine Liqueur

The spirit started as a single-bottle brand but has since expanded to two more varieties.

B&B Bénédictine

The B&B Bénédictine was inspired by a popular cocktail. During US Prohibition, New York City’s Club 21 invented a cocktail blending brandy and Bénédictine, known as B&B. The cocktail became such a hit that the liqueur company decided to make a pre-mixed version with French brandy and Bénédictine. It is considered to be the first ready-to-drink cocktail that can also be mixed with other cocktails.

Bénédictine Single Cask

Bénédictine Single Cask was released in 1984 and is similar to B&B Bénédictine. It is a mix of French brandy and Bénédictine liqueur aged in Limousin oak casks for three months. The result is an impressive liqueur, but it is only available at the French distillery in Fécamp. I had the pleasure of sampling it, and it was my favorite!

Visiting the Bénédictine Palace

Le Grand needed a large place to brew his liqueur, so he set up a palace with a built-in factory to house production and show off the grand spirit. The Palace is a gorgeous half-Gothic, half-Renaissance venue that showcases Le Grand's ancient collections of books and art.

Beautiful stained glass windows run throughout the palace. Even if you aren't interested in all the religious artifacts, the windows are worth a long gaze.

I love the part of the museum that displays all of the vintage advertisements. The marketer in me loves that. The Palace also houses a Hall of Counterfeits, where the brand showcases fake bottles and labels reproduced by infringing on its intellectual property.

Visitors can tour the cellars, the distillery, and the art rooms, and enjoy a unique tasting experience in the Palace. Which is exactly what Mr. Misadventures and I did. The shortest tour lasts around 45 minutes, with longer experiences running up to about 2 hours 30 minutes. A tour is the only way to do a tasting, which takes place at the end.

Attached to the palace is a gorgeous bar and restaurant called the Bar La Verrière where you can also taste cocktails and food created to enhance the liqueur.

Getting to the Bénédictine Palace in Fécamp

The Palais Bénédictine sits right in the middle of Fécamp at 110 rue Alexandre Le Grand, so once you are in town you can walk straight to it. Getting to Fécamp is easiest by car, about 2 hours 15 to 2 hours 30 from Paris. By train, take a service from Paris Gare Saint-Lazare toward Le Havre and change at Bréauté-Beuzeville for the connection into Fécamp, which puts you there in roughly 2 hours 50. If you are coming from Le Havre or pairing the trip with Étretat, the Nomad coach line 509 runs along the coast through Étretat and Yport to Fécamp.

Tickets, Tours, and the Best Time to Visit

Tickets start at around 19 euros for adults, with ages 12 to 17 at 8 euros and children under 12 free, plus a small extra charge for the audio guide. The visit runs anywhere from 45 minutes to about 2 hours 30 depending on which experience you choose, and every version finishes with the tasting. It is worth booking ahead, especially in summer when the town fills up.

Opening hours are seasonal, longer in summer and shorter through the quieter winter months, so always check the current times on the official Bénédictine site before you go. My favorite window is late spring through early autumn, when the Palais is on its full schedule, and the alabaster cliffs of the coast are at their best. July and August are the busiest, so if you like room to wander, aim for the shoulder season.

Using Bénédictine Liqueur

This cognac-based liqueur makes for a great companion for several cocktails. A single ice cube is enough to bring out the liqueur's true taste. Bénédictine has a unique herbal taste and therefore should be used prudently, especially if you’re a newbie.

The sweetness can be quite overpowering, so it’s best to think of it as an aperitif watered down with other beverages. Its complex notes let it pair well with other dark spirits, as well as old-fashioned citrus and tea beverages.

If you want to put it to work, Bénédictine shines in a handful of classics. It is the backbone of the Vieux Carré, adds a herbal lift to a Singapore Sling, comes ready blended with brandy as a B&B, and turns a simple hot toddy into something far more interesting on a cold night.

Where to Buy Bénédictine Liqueur in the U.S.

• Total Wine & More has both Benedictine DOM and B&B
• They also have B&B at BevMo

Beyond those, Bénédictine is widely stocked at larger liquor stores and online, usually around $ 40 to $45 for a 750ml bottle, and the B&B blend is easy to find too.

A few Bénédictine Liqueur cocktail recipes

• 3 Killer Cocktails to Show Off Bénédictine from Food & Wine
• Bénédictine Cocktails to Make at Home from Mixly
• 8 [of the] Most Popular Cocktails with Benedictine from Taste Atlas

Bénédictine Liqueur FAQ

The region of Normandy is full of wonder…and alcohol! If Bénédictine liqueur is not your style, consider French cider or Calvados, two additional golden liqueurs that are magical!

How about you? Have you ever heard of Bénédictine liqueur? Have you ever tried it? Do tell!

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