Drink of the Week: Bénédictine

Celebrating its 500th anniversary this year is today’s Drink of the Week, Bénédictine liqueur. Originally crafted by monk Dom Bernardo Vincelli in France’s Normandy region, the recipe for this herbal spirit could have been lost forever had it not been passed along to a local family during the French Revolution when the monks were extricated from their Abbey. Almost a half-century after the Abbey was destroyed, wine merchant Alexandre le Grande rediscovered the recipe gifted to his family and set about meticulously re-creating the secret elixir. Calling on 27 different herbs and spices, including angelica, hyssop, cinnamon and thyme, Bénédictine warms with its amber-y golden hue and sweet flavors of tangerine peel, fennel and honey. Its unique profile and timeless flavor have inspired bartenders for centuries, and it continues to play a role in classics like the Vieux Carré and Bobby Burns as well as more contemporary recipes, such as the Turmoil and Black Forest cocktails. $20/375 ml., drinkupny.com