In the dawn of the 16th century, a bright-eyed young Benedictine monk named Dom Bernardo Vincelli moved from central Italy to a monastery in Fecamp, in Northern France. Unusually gifted in the alchemical arts, in the year 1510 he combined a couple dozen herbs and plants with honey and alcohol to create an elixir of long life-King Francis I, upon visiting the monastery, tasted the mixture and exclaimed "On my honor! I've never tasted anything better!" This recipe, believed lost in the chaos of the French Revolution, was luckily rediscovered in the 1860s by a man named Alexander Le Grand who just happened to sell alcohol professionally, and he began producing and marketing the ancient liqueur under the name Benedictine.
Literally every word you just read, for which there is no evidence at all. For some reason, alcohol in general, and European liqueurs in particular, feel compelled to artificially tie their stories to some ancient salutary wisdom, as if things were better back then. To be clear, dominant medical technology in the 1500s were charms, leeches and prayer, so it's hard to say why Le Grand believed his imaginary monk carried any authority, but nonetheless: The story got a foot in the door. (Robb Report 2021).
Benedictine is an herbal French liqueur made since 1863 in Fecamp, Normandy, in a palatial building just a couple blocks in from the coast. It's made with 27 different ingredients on an 80-proof base of distilled beetroot, sweetened with acacia honey and aged in oak for at least 15 months.
Alone, it's absolutely delightful. Honey, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron and so much else, all in perfect balance echoing onto the finish. The sweetness pushes it into dessert or nightcap territory, and so it's not often sipped neat (at least not in this country). It's also magic in cocktails.
Stir on ice in a rocks glass, the bigger the ice, the better. Garnish with a lemon peel. Sip slowly, and enjoy.
This is so simple that the whiskey is entirely up to personal taste. Use whatever rye you like and it'll be great. For that matter, you can use bourbon (called a Kentucky Colonel), aged tequila (called a Monte Carlos), cognac, calvados, aged rum, you name it. This is one of the liqueurs great charms-as long as the spirit is aged, don't worry, the Benedictine will make it work.
Squeeze a lime wedge into the drink.
Stir the ingredients in a glass with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lime. Add a brandied cherry, if desired.