B & B Cocktail: Benedictine

Of course it all started with a monk. After all they've had a hand in the creation of many of our most popular spirits and liqueurs; Benedictine is no different.

The original recipe, devised as a tonic by a Benedictine monk at the start of the sixteenth century, was lost until 1863 when it was unearthed by Alexandre Le Grand. He played around with it before settling on brandy with a blend of 27 herbs and spices, plus tea, orange peel and honey.

• Benedictine goes well with chocolate desserts
• It also makes a good topping for ice-cream - but not for the children!

It was another 70 years before a bartender in the 21 Club in New York had the idea of combining Benedictine with brandy to create the B&B cocktail.

This proved to be so popular, especially in America that the Benedictine company started bottling and selling it themselves.

But it's very simple to make at home!

B&B

• 1 part brandy
• 1 part Benedictine

Pour the Benedictine into a shooter glass. Pour the brandy slowly, over the back of a spoon, onto the Benedictine so that it floats on top. Serve without stirring.