B & B

Recipe: B & B (serves one)

• 1/2 oz. brandy
• 1/2 oz. Bénédictine

Pour Bénédictine into a cordial glass or snifter. Slowly pour the brandy so it floats on top. Do not stir.

One of our favorite after-dinner drinks is the B & B. In this unstirred version, the first few sips have the woody, floral taste of brandy or cognac; then the drink evolves toward the sweeter and more herbal Bénédictine flavor.  Other variations can be stirred, served on the rocks, or poured straight from a bottle of pre-mixed B & B (produced by the manufacturers of Bénédictine).

The brandy. Since the brandy is the first thing you’ll taste, we like to splurge and use Rémy Martin XO Cognac.  But it’s also good with VSOP.

The Bénédictine. Legend has it that Bénédictine was created by monks in the 16th century, but there’s no proof. What we do know is that the liqueur dates back at least to 1863.