Fécamp, France (August 2009)
Fécamp is the home of Bénédictine. We visited the Palais Bénédictine with our friend Maria of Anaconda. A monk may have invented the recipe centuries ago in an abbey pharmacy, but the production and marketing of the liqueur is recent, as is the palace.
The palace is a marvel of gothic excess, but according to the brochure, it opened in 1900. Bénédictine really is made there, and we walked through parts of the caves where it is aged. The displays with the plants and spices used in the secret recipe were really interesting, and at the end there was a tasting and, of course, an opportunity to buy.
