Beerenburg
The Frisian herbal bitter that was actually invented in Amsterdam. What beerenburg is, where the name comes from, how to drink it and which glass to serve it in.
The brands behind beerenburg
Two northern family businesses, and the German herbal bitter it is most often compared with.
Sonnema Berenburg
The Frisian brand from Bolsward that made the category big, and the bottle found in almost every northern café.
About Sonnema Berenburg →Hooghoudt
Groningen family business with two beerenburgs: the 74-herb version and the kalmoes version with three more.
About Hooghoudt →Underberg
The German herbal bitter in a 2 cl bottle, at 44% ABV. Not beerenburg, but it plays the same role after a meal.
About Underberg →Our drinks page lists all the brands we cover, from liqueur to whisky.
Every beerenburg in one overview, by brand
2 brands and 5 flavours, each with its own page about taste, cocktails and the right glass.
Frisian drink, Amsterdam invention
Beerenburg is jenever with an extract of herbs added: juniper berries, gentian root, bay leaf and a range of others, depending on the recipe. The result is a dark, bittersweet herbal bitter that is almost always 30% ABV. It is inextricably linked to Friesland, and rightly so: it is made there and consumed there more than anywhere else. But the herbal blend originally comes from Amsterdam.
The name refers to Hendrik Beerenburg, an Amsterdam apothecary who sold an herbal blend in the eighteenth century that you could infuse in jenever yourself. Frisian skippers took it with them, and in Friesland it developed into what it is today. So it has nothing to do with a bear’s castle, even though that explanation is often given. You will encounter both spellings: beerenburg with a double e, and berenburg, as Sonnema puts it on its label.
In brief
Four bottles, all around 30%
The percentage is virtually the same everywhere. The difference lies in the number of herbs and how bitter the blend turns out.
Sonnema Berenburg
The best-known bottle of them all, from Bolsward. Bittersweet and herbal, with a smooth finish. The benchmark for this category.
Hooghoudt Beerenburg 74
From Groningen-based Hooghoudt, with seventy-four herbs in the blend. More complex and distinctly more bitter than most.
Hooghoudt Sweet Flag
With sweet flag root and seventy-seven herbs. More herbal and slightly sweeter than the 74, with a distinctly warmer finish.
Underberg
Not Beerenburg but its German counterpart, in 2 cl bottles. Much more bitter and considerably stronger; intended as a digestif.
Sonnema if you're just starting out, Hooghoudt 74 if you're looking for more pronounced bitters.
Bittersweet, with gentian and bay leaf
Herbs & juniper
Dried herbs, bay leaf and juniper, with an earthy note of gentian root underneath. Dark and immediately recognizable.
Bittersweet and warm
Sweet at first, bitter in the middle, with a warm herbal note that lingers. At 30% ABV, much smoother than a German herbal bitter.
Long and bitter
The gentian lingers longest and provides a dry, bitter finish. That is precisely why it works as a digestif.
Flavor profile of Sonnema Berenburg. Hooghoudt 74 scores higher on herbal notes and lower on sweetness; Underberg scores more strongly across the board.
Three ways to drink Beerenburg
In Friesland, it goes into the glass ice-cold, and there is little to argue with: the cold dampens the bitterness just enough.
Ice-cold from the freezer
3 to 4 cl in a small shot glass, straight from the freezer. At 30% ABV, it does not freeze but does become syrupy, making the bitter herbs go down much more smoothly.
Glass: shot glass →With cola
5 cl in a highball glass filled with ice, topped up with cola. The sweetness of the cola offsets the bitterness; it is a standard order at bars in the north of the country.
Glass: highball glass →As a digestif
4 cl at room temperature after a heavy meal. Herbal bitters were designed precisely for this, and the gentian does the work here. Served warm, you taste more of the blend.
About herbal bitters →Cocktails with Beerenburg
Beerenburg is not a cocktail base but a digestif. As the bitter component in a stirred cocktail, however, it works surprisingly well.
Kopstoot
Classically made with young gin, but just as common with Beerenburg in the north.
Hot Toddy
Hot water, honey, lemon and cloves. The herbs complement it seamlessly.
Negroni
Gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. A splash of Beerenburg adds an earthy character.
Making shots
The complete collection of shot recipes, from layered to ice-cold from the freezer.The right glass for Beerenburg
A small shot glass that can go in the freezer, and a long drink glass if you drink it with cola. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about Beerenburg
Can’t find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →