Jonnie and Thérèse Boer launch their own spirits

Jonnie & Thérèse Boer (J&T to their fans) have news: a new line of their own spirits, called ‘Botanical Spirits by Jonnie & Thérèse’. And as is often the case with the idiosyncratic duo from Zwolle, they each have their own variation.

She created Rumour, a premium rum with botanical herbs and spices. Made with, among other things, exotic plants such as Mexican tarragon, ginger and galangal. And inspired by flavors from her beloved Bonaire and Curaçao. He named his spirit Revenge, inspired by quintessentially Dutch genever. The name is a nod to the English, who, according to Jonnie, ‘shamelessly robbed’ us of our Dutch ‘genever’ and turned it into gin.

Cocktail expert at De Librije

Jonnie’s own spirit contains additions of macerates (flowers and herbs infused in oil) based on kaffir lime, orange marigolds, and peppers. The cocktail expert at De Librije makes perfect serves with it (video), such as those also served at De Librije (and which are also easy to make at home).

Wagging Finger Distillery

For the development of the spirits, J&T worked with Erik Molenaar of Wagging Finger Distillery from Deventer, who set to work perfecting and combining classic rum and genever flavors with macerates of unusual botanical herbs and spices.

Female rum

Thérèse had been dreaming for some time of creating a contemporary rum with the refinement of more feminine flavors. Her rum is a carefully blended combination of rum from Panama, Guyana, Barbados, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Thérèse’s touch consists of Mexican tarragon, which provides a sweet, herbal flavor; kaffir & lime leaves for fresh acidity; and ginger & galangal for a spicy bite and sharpness. Finished with the addition of bay leaf, star anise and cinnamon.

Genever

The Dutch original of the English word ginnever or gin is the perfect anagram of Revenge. A distillate dating back to the Middle Ages, when alchemists were already distilling grain to make medicines. Through the addition of juniper berries and refinement of the distillation process, it was the Dutch who succeeded in making the first genever.

With Jonnie’s ‘Revenge’, the renowned chef wants to bring the flavor back to how genever originally tasted. A spirit with the bitter and sharp taste of genever combined with botanicals and spices collected from around the world. With a macerate of kaffir lime and orange for the right acidity, and an ingenious hint of orange marigolds and peppers for sharpness. The flavor of bay leaf and cinnamon provides depth and complexity, rounded off with a sweet bite of star anise.

Availability

The spirits are available at Librije’s Winkel in Zwolle and online at Librije.com. Jonnie & Thérèse also serve their spirits in their restaurants De Librije, Brass Boer Thuis and Bar Senang. Prices: €50 (50 cl) and € 60(50 cl).

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