1. Offending Tradition - How NOT to Abuse Benedictine

Several weeks ago, while sitting at the bar at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, I was shocked when a group of four young people ordered "Benedictine and orange juice". With its intricate flavors and complex bouquet, Benedictine is one of the truly great liqueurs of the world and adding orange juice to it is an offense not only to good taste but to nearly five hundred years of history and tradition.

Originally made in 1510 by the Benedictine Monks who lived in the fortified castle of the Dukes of Normandy in the city of Fecamp, the liqueur was produced for almost three hundred years until it vanished in the upheavals of the French Revolution. Later, in 1836, a wine merchant of Fecamp, Alexandre le Grand, found the original recipe, reconstituted the drink and turned it into a liqueur made from 27 herbs and spices. The recipe is a well guard- ed secret but it is known that among other ingredients the liqueur contains hyssop, melissa, cinnamon, tea, thyme, coriander and nut- meg. After the herbs and spices have been infused in alcohol, the liqueur undergoes a further series of distillations before being aged in oak casks for two years. When finished, Benedictine has a characteristic saffron color, a subtle aroma and a taste of ex- quisite finesse.

In Europe, Benedictine continues to be one of the most adored of all liqueurs, but in America more people drink the beverage bottled as B&B, which is a combination of Benedictine and Brandy This innovation came about in 1937 when one of le Grand's descendants was impressed by a cocktail made by the head barman at New York City's famous 21 Club. The practice of adding orange juice to Benedictine is less than four years old, and advertisements devoted to convincing us that this and other soft drinks are legitimate additions are aimed primarily at the market of 21 - 30 year olds who continue to show a preference for vodka, tequila and other beverages with a supposedly younger image. My hope, as was Oscar Wilde's, is that "nothing is a better cure for youth than a bit of intelligent aging". Although adding orange juice to Bendedictine is an abomination, there are few drinks more pleasing after dinner than either Benedictine or Benedictine and Brandy both of which are ideally sipped neat or, if one insists, poured over ice cubes as a cocktail.

Living up to the meaning of his name, le Grand ("the big") designed an elegant rococo palace that would serve as the factory in which the liqueur would be produced. Those traveling in the area of Normandy should consider a visit to the palace (which receives more than 100,000 visitors annually). During the conducted tour, one can see the 150 year old stills that are still in use, the barrel room in which the liqueur is aged, and a modern art gallery that contains one of the world's best collections of Miro and Braque. Of equal interest are the Benedictine posters, some of which date back to 1853, and many of which are at least as well known as those of Absolut Vodka. The palace is in Fecamp, and information about visits can be obtained by telephoning 0033: 35.10.26.00.

2. Frangelico

Liqueurs based on nuts have been popular throughout Italy since the days of the Romans and the Italians have a myth to go with every liqueur they drink. One of the most charming of these tales is about a hermit named Frangelico who lived three hundred years ago in the hills on the right bank of the Po River. It is said that because the old man had a mystical insight into the secrets of nature, he created a series of liqueurs so god-like in their delicacy that even the bears and the eagles came to sample of his fare.

That the tale is apocryphal is evident. There have been no bears in the hills overlooking the Po River for at least eight hundred years and no-one has ever seen an eagle in the vicinity of Florence. Even the name of the hermit is open to question. Frangelico is a contraction of the name of Fra Angelico (the angelic brother) and, as nearly every resident of the Po Valley knows, there have been only two men with that name. The first, a friar in the Dominican order painted the beautiful frescos in the Florentine Monastery of San Marco in about 1440. The second, a brother in the same order nearly three hundred years later was famous primarily because of his reputation for having seduced "half the maidens and a good number of the married women of Florence".

While the real inventor of Frangelico liqueur remains unidentified, the fact is that this is a fine, smooth drink. Even though most Italian nut liqueurs are based on walnuts or pecans, the use in this liqueur of hazelnuts makes for a welcome change. Steeping the nuts in alcohol together with herbs and berries produces a smooth, somewhat unusual but very pleasant drink, one that fills the nostrils with a pleasant sensation and leaves a delightfully clean taste on the palate.

Like most liqueurs, Frangelico is sweet and most often served as an after-dinner drink. My own pleasure is to drink it neat, that is to say, without ice or water. When served this way, be sure the liqueur is at room temperature or just a bit below. Consider as well serving the liqueur on the rocks; spooning it over chocolate or vanilla ice cream as a dessert; adding a spoonful or two to coffee; or using it in the baking of cakes that call for liqueurs. If pre-dinner cocktails give you pleasure, try making a Frangelico Alexander by combining 1 measure each of Frangelico and Cognac with 1 ball of high quality vanilla ice cream in the mixing container of a blender. Blend for several seconds and pour the cocktail over 2 - 3 ice cubes. Serve with or without a straw.

3. Bitters

Several people have written to ask about "bitters". Based on herbs, spices, roots and bark that are steeped in or distilled with spirits, bitters are technically a type of liqueur. Unlike most liqueurs, however, most bitters were originally concocted by pharmacists to be used as cures for all sorts of ailments. Some bitters, for example were drunk to reduce the pain of menstrual cramps, others to treat diarrhea and yet others to increase male potency. Even though all of their medical claims have been disproven, bitters have maintained their popularity and many, especially in Italy, continue to drink them as aperitifs. In the rest of the world, however, they are used primarily as flavoring agents in making cocktails.

The problem with most bitters is that when drunk by themselves they are often so bitter that they lose their appeal. A major exception to this rule is the Italian Compari which, especially when mixed together with soda and served with ice cubes makes a remark- ably tempting aperitif. Others of the world's best known bitters include Angostura, Amer Picon, Byrrh, Fernet Branca and Radis. Somewhat newer is Fernet of Martini and Rossi which, like the already well known "Fernet Branca" is made with 30 different herbs (including Chinese rhubarb and ginger) that are steeped in a mixture of white wine and brandy and aged for about one year in oak casks. Many find that when drunk plain Fernet has a medicinal and not especially appealing flavor, but those who enjoy cocktails will find it ideal for making drinks such as the Champagne Cocktail, Americano, Negroni or Metropolitan.

Because there are so many different versions of bitters and be- cause these come in a large variety of flavors, I suggest making your first purchases in small bottles, thus giving you a chance to experiment until you find the one best suited to your tastes.

4. Marie Brizzard's Poire Williams

The French based company "Marie Brizzard", produces more than forty different liqueurs, and is one of the most highly respected names in Europe. For some odd reason, I had never tasted the company's "Poire Williams", so when the opportunity recently arose, who was I to resist?

Marie Brizzard's "Poire Williams" is a not overly sweet liqueur made exclusively from the variety known as Williams Pears. An especially smooth drink, and one of the few liqueurs that really has the delicious aroma and taste of the fruit in it, it is excellent when sipped either at room temper- ature or either lightly or heavily chilled. One of the favor- ite ways of serving this liqueur in Alsace, where the pears grow, is by pouring it over slices or chunks of fresh pineapple, the tastes complementing each other perfectly.

At the same tasting, I had the opportunity to re-taste Marie Brizzard's "Creme de Framboises". Made by infusing fresh raspberries in fruit brandy, this equally smooth and flavorful liqueur will appeal primarily to those who like their drinks on the sweet side. Most Frenchmen prefer to drink this particular liqueur in small glasses and neat, that is to say without ice or water, and served at room temperature or just a bit below. Austrians prefer their raspberry based liqueurs served ice cold, and the Germans and Swiss like to mix them about half-and- half with soda.

© Daniel Rogov