The Berenburg cocktail recipe
as a Frisian sour
Add the Berenburg, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white to a shaker, without ice for now.
Dry shake for ten seconds first, so the egg white whips up into a firm foam.
Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake hard for another fifteen seconds, until the outside feels ice-cold.
Place a large ice cube in a tumbler and double-strain the cocktail over it to keep the foam smooth.
Squeeze the strip of orange peel over the glass as a twist and place it on the foam.
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The story
Berenburg owes its name to Hendrik Beerenburg, an Amsterdam herbal merchant who opened his own shop on the Stromarkt in 1724. He sold a blend of herbs that customers steeped in genever themselves. According to tradition, Frisian skippers took the herbs home, making the drink especially popular in the north. In 1860, innkeeper Fedde Sonnema laid the foundation for his own Berenburg in Dokkum; since the 1970s, it has been made in Bolsward. Every distiller keeps its recipe secret, but European regulations require it to contain a distillate of gentian root, juniper, and bay leaf. The Berenburg Sour is not a historical classic: it is the tried-and-tested sour formula applied to a Frisian product, just as the Amsterdam Sour does with old genever.
The right glass
Serve a Berenburg Sour with a foamy head in a 30 to 38 cl tumbler with one large ice cube. The wide opening gives the foam and orange aroma room, while the thick glass keeps the drink cold. A large cube melts slowly, so the spices don’t become diluted. If you prefer your Berenburg neat, use a small shot glass like those traditionally placed on tables in Friesland; with cola, use a highball glass. View our tumbler glasses.
Eclat Longchamp Tumbler 32 cl (6 pieces)
RCR Aria Tumbler 38 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 63,90.
The right tools
For a Berenburg cocktail, besides the glass, you’ll need a Boston shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a cocktail strainer, a fine strainer for double straining, and a citrus press. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you’ll find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 161,70.
What do you make a Berenburg cocktail with?
For a Berenburg cocktail, you need Beerenburg. Well-known bottles include Sonnema 1860, Beerenburg 74 herbs, and Sonnema Berenburg & Cola. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The best-known Berenburg mix is Berenburg with cola: 4 cl Berenburg and 12 cl cola in a highball glass with ice. Sonnema also sells this combination ready-made in a can. With ginger beer and a splash of lime juice, you can make a spicy mule in the style of the Moscow Mule. In Friesland, they also serve Fryske koffie: an Irish Coffee with Berenburg instead of whiskey. Prefer it without egg? Use 2 cl aquafaba or leave out the egg white; the flavor remains, only the foam disappears.
Servingtip
Serve it with a board of aged cheese or Frisian clove cheese: the cloves in the cheese and the herbs in the Berenburg enhance each other. Make the simple syrup yourself using equal parts sugar and water, so you know exactly how sweet it is.
Good to know
What exactly is Berenburg
Berenburg is a herbal bitter: alcohol infused with herbs, roots, and peels. The European rules are remarkably specific. It must contain a distillate of gentian root, juniper berries, and bay leaf, may contain no more than 20 grams of sugar per liter, and must have an alcohol content of at least 30 percent. Its color ranges from light brown to dark brown. As a result, Berenburg tastes bitter and herbal, with only a slight sweetness - a major difference from sweet herbal liqueurs like those served in a Jägerbomb. Its low sugar content makes it suitable for a sour: you decide how much sweetness to add.
Making a Berenburg cocktail without a shaker
No shaker at home? A clean jam jar with a tightly fitting lid does the same job. Add the Berenburg, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and egg white, screw the lid on tightly, and shake for ten seconds without ice first. Then add a handful of ice cubes and shake for another fifteen seconds. Strain through a tea strainer over the large ice cube in the tumbler. Without egg white, you can also build it in the glass: Berenburg, lemon juice, and syrup over ice, then stir for ten seconds. The only thing you miss is the foam cap.
Which Berenburg works best
For a sour, a standard Berenburg of around 30 percent ABV works best. Well-known Frisian names include Sonnema from Bolsward, Weduwe Joustra from Sneek, and Boomsma from Leeuwarden; from Groningen comes Hooghoudt's Beerenburg, made with 74 herbs. Each house has its own recipe, so one bottle may be more bitter while another is rounder. Therefore, taste a small sip neat first. If it is round and smooth, use 1.5 cl of syrup. If it is dry and bitter, or if you choose a stronger bottle such as 35 percent Sonnema 1860, increase it to 2 cl.
Berenburg with cola and other mixers
Berenburg with cola is the standard long drink in Friesland. Use 4 cl Berenburg with 12 to 15 cl cola in a long-drink glass filled with ice: more cola makes it sweeter, while less lets the spices shine through. It works for the same reason rum works in a Cuba Libre: the spicy notes of cola complement the drink. Sinas, 7up, and Rivella are also common mixers. Ginger beer and a lime wedge make the best match, as ginger enhances the spiciness and lime adds freshness. Tonic also works, with plenty of ice.
Berenburg Sour for a group
For six people, mix 30 cl Berenburg, 15 cl fresh lemon juice, and 9 cl sugar syrup in advance in a bottle or jug and chill it. Add the egg white only when shaking: 2 cl per glass, or one whole egg white per two cocktails. Shake two servings at a time so the foam stays firm and everything chills quickly. Keep the large ice cubes in the freezer until the last moment, and cut the orange peels in advance. Find more ideas for large groups at cocktails for a group.
Difference from Whiskey Sour and Amsterdam Sour
All three follow the same formula: spirits, fresh lemon juice, sugar and often egg white. The difference lies in the base. The Whiskey Sour is based on bourbon with vanilla and oak and has more alcohol, since bourbon is around 40 percent. The Amsterdam Sour uses aged jenever, which is malty and smooth. Berenburg is traditionally jenever infused with herbs, so the Berenburg Sour is the herbal member of the family: more bitter, with gentian and bay leaf on the finish. If you have already made one of the other two, you can use the same shaker and the same glasses.
Frequently asked questions
What is a berenburg cocktail?
A berenburg cocktail is a cocktail based on the Frisian herbal bitter. The best starting point is the Berenburg Sour: 5 cl berenburg, 2.5 cl fresh lemon juice, 1.5 cl simple syrup and 2 cl egg white, shaken and poured over one large ice cube. The best-known mix remains berenburg with cola.
What do you mix berenburg with?
Cola is the classic, in a ratio of about 1 to 3. Sinas, 7up and Rivella are also common in Friesland. If you want to bring out more of the herbs, choose ginger beer with a wedge of lime or a neutral tonic. In a cocktail, berenburg works best with lemon and a little sugar, as in the sour.
How much alcohol does berenburg contain?
At least 30 percent, as required by European regulations. Most bottles are exactly at that level, such as Hooghoudt's Beerenburg. Premium versions are higher: Sonnema 1860 has 35 percent. A Berenburg Sour with 5 cl of berenburg therefore contains 1.5 cl of pure alcohol, slightly more than a standard drink.
Which glass do you use for berenburg?
Drink berenburg neat from a small shot glass, just like jenever. Serve a Berenburg Sour in a 30 to 38 cl tumbler with one large ice cube, and berenburg with cola in a long drink glass filled with ice. For a neat drink, see our jenever glasses.
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