Bénédictine
Also called Benedictine, Bénédictine D.O.M., DOM
A honeyed French herbal liqueur from Fécamp, Normandy, at 40% ABV, built on 27 plants and spices, with saffron giving the amber color and the honeyed spice in the foreground. The initials D.O.M. stand for Deo Optimo Maximo. A quarter ounce adds warmth and depth to the Singapore Sling and the Vieux Carré.
- honey
- saffron
- angelica
- clove
- citrus peel
- warm spice
- herbal sweetness
Origin
The brand's own account begins with a 1510 elixir attributed to the monk Dom Bernardo Vincelli at Fécamp Abbey, the recipe scattered when the Revolution closed the abbey in 1792 and the manuscript handed on by the last monk in 1848. Alexandre Le Grand, a wine merchant, recreated it in 1863 and launched Bénédictine in 1864 with its distinctive bottle and trademark; it won gold at Le Havre in 1868 and supplied Napoleon III. Le Grand built offices and a distillery on the abbey's former site from 1882; after a fire in 1892 the family rebuilt, and the Palais Bénédictine, part distillery and part museum, was completed in 1900 and still produces the liqueur. Some historians read the monastic origin as a marketing story; the 1863 date is solid.
Common uses
- singapore-sling
- Vieux Carré
- Bobby Burns with Scotch and sweet vermouth
- B and B (with brandy)
- a Widow's Kiss
Pours that use it
Sources
- Bénédictine heritage, Bénédictine (Bacardi) · primary source, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Benedictine D.O.M., Difford's Guide · secondary source, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Distillerie Bénédictine history, Difford's Guide · secondary source, retrieved 2026-10-11