Bénédictine
Bénédictine is a herbal liqueur made at Fécamp, Normandy, at 40% ABV on its maker’s site, from 27 plants and spices, angelica and saffron among them, with honey in the recipe. The Oxford Companion says the merchant Alexandre Le Grand claimed in 1863 to have found the recipe of a monk of 1510, and that no independent trace of the monk has been found. Most of our recipes use 5 to 7.5ml to bind a stirred drink; three use 30ml.
Quick Facts
We store it in a cool, dark place, tightly sealed, with no need for the fridge; in our experience its sugar and alcohol keep it stable once opened.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes change: check the bottle.
About Bénédictine
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Rich and viscous with honeyed sweetness, layered herbal notes, subtle spice, and a long, warming finish. Sweet but structured rather than cloying.
A merchant's liqueur, sold with a monk's story
Alexandre Le Grand was a merchant and collector in Fécamp. In 1863, by the Oxford Companion’s account, he claimed to have found among a monk’s writings the recipe of an elixir, and to have recreated it after numerous experiments. Bénédictine’s own history still says the monk Dom Bernardo Vincelli is said to have created an elixir at the town’s Benedictine abbey in 1510, but the Companion says the company has never produced the document and that no independent trace of Vincelli has been found. The bottle is still sold as Bénédictine D.O.M.
The liqueur has outlived the need for the story. It is still made in Fécamp, at 40% ABV, from 27 plants and spices, with honey and saffron at the heart of the recipe, and angelica, hyssop, saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove are among the ones the Oxford Companion names.
Most drinks use it as a binder; three use it as a base
In the Vieux Carré it is 5ml, a bar spoon, holding rye, cognac and sweet vermouth together. The Singapore Sling and the Bobby Burns take 7.5ml, and the Ford Cocktail three dashes. At these measures it rounds the drink and is not tasted on its own.
Three drinks turn that around. The Chrysanthemum is 30ml of Bénédictine beside 60ml of dry vermouth, a third of the drink; La Louisiane and the Gypsy Queen also take 30ml. Here it is the flavour, and the sweetness of the whole drink.
It belongs with the honeyed herbal liqueurs, not with Chartreuse
It is shelved beside green Chartreuse, but in our view its nearest relations are the softer, sweeter herbal liqueurs.
Bénédictine against two sweet herbal neighbours (make-up and strength from Bénédictine’s, Chartreuse’s and Drambuie’s own sites, Drambuie’s strength from LWC’s UK listing; the swap notes are ours)
Strength
- Bénédictine
- 40%
- Yellow Chartreuse
- 43%
- Drambuie
- 40%
Sweetened with
- Bénédictine
- Honey
- Yellow Chartreuse
- Sugar
- Drambuie
- Heather honey
Flavoured with
- Bénédictine
- 27 herbs, roots and spices
- Yellow Chartreuse
- 130 plants
- Drambuie
- Scotch whisky, herbs and spices
Made in
- Bénédictine
- Fécamp, Normandy
- Yellow Chartreuse
- Entre-Deux-Guiers, Isère, French Alps
- Drambuie
- Scotland
As a swap for Bénédictine
- Bénédictine
- As written
- Yellow Chartreuse
- Use a little less; more herbal
- Drambuie
- Closest in sweetness; adds whisky
| Bénédictine | Yellow Chartreuse | Drambuie | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 40% | 43% | 40% |
| Sweetened with | Honey | Sugar | Heather honey |
| Flavoured with | 27 herbs, roots and spices | 130 plants | Scotch whisky, herbs and spices |
| Made in | Fécamp, Normandy | Entre-Deux-Guiers, Isère, French Alps | Scotland |
| As a swap for Bénédictine | As written | Use a little less; more herbal | Closest in sweetness; adds whisky |
B&B is a different bottle
B&B, Bénédictine mixed with brandy, has been sold as its own bottling since the 1930s by its maker’s account, which gives the 1937 formula as 60% Bénédictine to 40% French brandy. It is drier and carries brandy, so it cannot stand in when a drink calls for Bénédictine. In our experience both keep for years once opened.
Using Bénédictine
Usage
From three dashes to 30ml in our recipes. As a binder it is 5ml in the Vieux Carré and 7.5ml in the Singapore Sling and the Bobby Burns; as a principal it is 30ml in the Chrysanthemum, La Louisiane and the Gypsy Queen. Count it as sugar whenever it goes in.
Pro Tip
Check what your bar spoon holds before using it for a Vieux Carré. Spoons vary in size, and at a 5ml measure of Bénédictine the difference between two spoons shows in the glass.
Top Tips
- Measure it. At 5ml it holds a stirred drink together; at 15ml it starts to lead.
- Take sugar out when it goes in. It sweetens as well as flavours, so a drink with Bénédictine rarely needs syrup.
- B&B is a separate bottle, Bénédictine mixed with brandy. A recipe that says Bénédictine means the liqueur on its own.
- Stir the drinks it goes into for 20 to 30 seconds. It is dense and needs the time to mix and dilute.
Possible Substitutions
- Drambuie: Similar sweetness, different herbs
- Yellow Chartreuse: Drier and more herbal; changes the balance
Production Method
Made in Fécamp from 27 herbs, berries, roots and spices, among them saffron, angelica, cinnamon and orange peel, with honey as the sweetener. Its recipe stays a trade secret.
History & Context
Bénédictine’s own history says Alexandre Le Grand rediscovered the recipe manuscript of the monk Dom Bernardo Vincelli in 1863 and launched Bénédictine in 1864, and still says the recipe is “said to date back to 1510”. The Oxford Companion, a secondary source, notes that the company has never produced the original document and that no independent trace of Vincelli or his liqueur has been found.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is Bénédictine liqueur?
Was Bénédictine made by monks?
What does Bénédictine taste like?
What is the difference between Bénédictine and Chartreuse?
What is B&B?
What can I use instead of Bénédictine?
How long does Bénédictine last once opened?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- Bénédictine, “Bénédictine D.O.M” (producer’s product page).
- Bénédictine, “B&B” (producer’s product page).
- Bénédictine, “Heritage” (producer’s history).
- Bénédictine, “Alchemy”.
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, “Bénédictine” (secondary source: the company’s 1510 claim; Alexandre Legrand’s 1863 claim to have found Vincelli’s recipe; no independent trace of Vincelli; 27 plants and spices including angelica, hyssop, saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove; 40 percent ABV; B&B in the 1930s).
- Chartreuse Diffusion, “Green Chartreuse” (producer’s product page).
- Chartreuse Diffusion, “Yellow Chartreuse” (producer’s product page).
- Drambuie, “Drambuie” (producer’s site).
- LWC, “Drambuie 70cl” (UK wholesaler listing: Alcohol By Volume 40%; producer William Grant & Sons).
Made with Bénédictine
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Often Used With
Updated 19 October 2026