De Kuyper
The Schiedam family business behind the blue curaçao, oranjebitter and vieux found in virtually every Dutch bar. Everything about the types, percentages, cocktails and the glass that goes with them.
Eleven generations of liqueur distillers from Schiedam
De Kuyper began in 1695 as a cooperage in Horst: the family made the wooden barrels used to transport jenever. In 1752, the company moved to Schiedam, the quintessential jenever city, and began distilling its own spirits. Koninklijke De Kuyper is now eleven generations on and still entirely family-owned, with its distillery on Buitenhavenweg.
De Kuyper mainly makes liqueurs: fruit liqueurs for behind the bar, classics such as blue curaçao and triple sec, and typically Dutch drinks such as oranjebitter, berry jenever and vieux. The liqueurs are made with real fruit and hand-distilled extracts, and can be found behind bars in more than a hundred countries.
In brief
What types of De Kuyper are there?
De Kuyper makes dozens of liqueurs. These are the bottles you most often find in a Dutch liquor cabinet.
Blue Curaçao
Distilled from laraha peels from Curaçao, with that unmistakable bright blue color. Sweet, citrusy and with a hint of cardamom.
Oranjebitter
The orange classic for King's Day, made with peels of curaçao oranges and a hint of anise.
Curaçao Triple Sec
Orange liqueur made from dried, sweet orange peels. The affordable triple sec for a Margarita or Cosmopolitan.
Crème de Cassis
Intense blackcurrant liqueur with a deep red-purple color. Add a splash of champagne or prosecco for a Kir Royal.
Amaretto
Almond liqueur with vanilla, lime oil, caramel and a hint of cognac. Enjoy neat after dinner or in an Amaretto Sour.
Bessenjenever
Dutch bessenjenever in a fresh, modern version: red fruit, lightly sweet and ready to pour ice-cold.
Vieux
Dutch brandy the Dutch way, made with real French brandy. Full and round, neat or with cola.
For cocktails, Triple Sec and Blue Curaçao; for drinks, vieux or bessenjenever.
From bright blue and sweet to spicy and bitter
Sweet and full of fruit
The curaçaos, cassis and fruit liqueurs are sweet, intensely flavoured and usually between 15 and 20% ABV. Intended for mixing, not for drinking neat.
Orange and spices
Oranjebitter is drier than it looks: bitter orange peel with anise, at 30%. Enjoy neat over ice or with bubbles.
Round, warm and Dutch
Vieux is smooth and full-bodied thanks to the French brandy; bessenjenever is fresh and fruity. Both are best enjoyed ice-cold or with cola.
Average flavour profile of the De Kuyper fruit liqueurs. Oranjebitter scores higher on spiciness and lower on sweetness; vieux scores 3/5 for strength.
Three ways to drink De Kuyper
The liqueurs are made for mixing: a splash in a highball or cocktail adds colour and flavour. Vieux and bessenjenever are best enjoyed neat.
In a highball
20 ml Blue Curaçao with 40 ml vodka, 100 ml pineapple juice and ice in a highball glass: a Blue Lagoon in thirty seconds. It works just as well with Sprite or 7Up.
To the recipe →As a cocktail liqueur
25 ml Triple Sec shaken with 50 ml tequila and 25 ml lime juice in a margarita glass. Triple Sec is the most affordable way to make a Margarita or Cosmopolitan at home.
Margarita recipe →Ice-cold from the freezer
Put the bessenjenever or vieux in the freezer for an hour and pour 4 cl into a shot glass. This is the best way to enjoy a Dutch drink.
Glass: shot glass →The best cocktails with De Kuyper
Blue Lagoon
Vodka, blue curaçao and lemon or pineapple. The cocktail the blue bottle was made for.
Kir Royal
A splash of crème de cassis, topped up with champagne or prosecco. Ready in ten seconds.
Margarita
Tequila, triple sec and lime with a salt rim. The Triple Sec does exactly what it is meant to do here.
Amaretto Sour
Amaretto, lemon juice and a layer of foam. Sweet, sour and almond in one glass.The right glass for De Kuyper
A highball glass for the blue classics, a coupe for shaken cocktails, a margarita glass for the Margarita and a shot glass for vieux and berry jenever. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about De Kuyper
Is your question not listed? Browse our cocktail recipes or contact us.
To the cocktail recipes →