Name: The Book of Kells
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Irish whiskey; 22.5 ml Cognac (brandy); 22.5 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 5 ml Bénédictine D.O.M.; 2 dash Aromatic bitters; 2 dash Creole bitters

The Book of Kells
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Serve in a Snifter/Brandy balloon glass

Ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₂ oz	Irish whiskey
³⁄₄ oz	Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. cognac
³⁄₄ oz	Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
¹⁄₆ oz	Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur
2 dash	Angostura Aromatic Bitters
2 dash	Peychaud's or other Creole-style bitters

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Snifter/Brandy balloon glass.
Prepare garnish of lime zest twist.
STIR all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Express lime zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Rosso/rouge/sweet vermouth (di Torino) - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

Cocktail of the day:

8th September 2025 is International Literacy Day

Review:

A Vieux Carré with more whiskey than cognac, and we're talking Irish whiskey rather than rye or bourbon.

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History:

Created in 2015 by John Marshall at Melaza Bistro in Woodstock, Vermont, USA.

Nutrition:

One serving of The Book of Kells contains 202 calories

Alcohol content:

1.9 standard drinks
27.08% alc./vol. (27.08° proof)
26.1 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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Olga María Gómez Henderson

22nd February at 20:51

It's very tasteful. Now, this drink is not for the faint of heart. Also, it's not for people that like sweets, though maybe it's because my rosso vermouth it's not very sweet.

Chris Brislawn

9th September 2023 at 04:02

Used Teeling (“Spirit of Dublin”) rum-cask finish whiskey, Abecassis “Reve Bleu” XO cognac to stand up to the double dose of whiskey, Dolin rouge vermouth (not overly rich). Upped Benedictine to 1/4 oz (Difford specifies 1/3 oz for the Vieux Carre’ with just 3/4 oz of whiskey). Angostura and Bitter Truth Creole bitters. Didn’t understand the lime twist so garnished with dried blood orange wheel in an old-fashioned with a large ice cube. Great choice for UNESCO Literacy Day. Slainte mhaith!

John Hinojos

9th September 2021 at 00:12

Great for aperitif or after dinner. Works well straight up and the flavours are enhanced. Totally surprised by this one, as I usually find cocktails with Benedictine can be sweet. Not this one perfect balance.