B & B
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B & B
Serve in an Old-fashioned glass
| 1 1⁄3 oz | Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. cognac |
| 5⁄6 oz | Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur |
How to make:
- Select and pre-chill an Old-fashioned glass.
- Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.
- STIR all ingredients with ice.
- STRAIN into ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice).
- EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.
Strength & taste guide:
No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Review:
Honeyed and spiced brandy. Traditionally mixed in equal parts proportions but I prefer slightly drier with a touch more brandy than Bénédictine. The ice will add dilution with time but some, depending on the ice being used, may want to add 10ml (1/3oz) or more chilled water prior to mixing.
History:
Bénédictine and various types of brandy have long been mixed together and combo first enters cocktail books in the early 1900s as a pousse-café layered cocktail with the brandy floated over the liqueur.
BENEDICTINE AND BRANDY
Raymond E. Sullivan, The Barkeeper's Manual, 1910
Use cordial glass.
Put in two-thirds Benedictine,
Float one-third Brandy on top carefully so as
not to mix them. Serve.
However, popular culture has it that the B&B was created "in the 1930s during Prohibition" or more specifically in 1937 by a bartender at New York's famous 21 Club. (U.S. Prohibition ended 5th December 1933).
When, and possibly even where, someone in America first mixed brandy with Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur is questionable but the popularity of the combination is not. Such was the demand for this cocktail that in 1937/8, Le Palais Bénédictine started production of a bottled blend of 60% Bénédictine and 40% French brandy for sale in the USA under the name Bénédictine B&B. To this day, in the USA, sales of B&B far exceed sales of the original Bénédictine D.O.M. (used in this cocktail).
Alcohol content:
- 1.5 standard drinks
- 31.5% alc./vol. (31.5° proof)
- 20.5 grams of pure alcohol
Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.
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Variations include Canadian whisky (but not American bourbon or rye) instead of brandy.
Try it, you’ll love it!