The B&B

The B&B is perhaps one of the easiest classic cocktails to make and definitely one of the most rewarding, who knew that mixing equal parts of Cognac and Benedictine D.O.M could possibly produce such a flavour profile? The grapey tang of Cognac and the herby-honey flavour of Benedictine D.O.M combine here to make the B&B a taste sensation that is a lot more than simply the sum of it’s parts.

Benedictine D.O.M is a classic French liqueur that has been around since the Benedictine Monks in France started mixing herbal infusions with a base spirit to create any number of flavoured liqueurs for mixed drinks as far back as 1300. Benedictine D.O.M is an herbal infusion sweetened with honey and blended over a neutral base spirit.

It is said that the B&B was first created in 1937 in America, but considering Benedictine D.O.M and Cognac have been around for hundreds upon hundreds of years it is a little far-fetched to assume that some Benedictine Monk hadn’t thought to blend the two anywhere up to 700 years ago.

Anyway, while the origins of the B&B might well be debatable one thing is abundantly clear and that is that the smooth herby-honey flavour of the Benedictine D.O.M blends seamlessly with a good Cognac. This is certainly one of those occasions where I would advise that you use a VSOP or XO Cognac/Armagnac to bring out all of the flavour nuances that the B&B has up its sleeve.

You could serve a B&B over ice in an old-fashioned glass if you really want to, but for me the B&B is about the flavour profile and there is no better way to open up a Cognac-based cocktail than to blend the two ingredients with one ice cube and then strain into a brandy snifter and start swirling!

50ml Cognac/Armagnac

50ml Benedictine D.O.M

Swirl both ingredients gently in your shaker with ice and strain into a Brandy snifter.