Sonnema Berenburg
A 30% Frisian herbal bitter, the best-known Frisian drink there is. Drink it neat, with cola or alongside a beer. Here you'll learn what it tastes like, what varieties are available, how to make a kopstoot, and which glass to serve it in.
Frisian spirit with a recipe dating back to 1860
Sonnema Berenburg comes from Friesland. Fedde Sonnema started making it in Dokkum in 1860. His recipe dates back to Hendrik Beerenburg, an Amsterdam spice merchant who sold bags of herbs in the seventeenth century for flavoring genever. The bottle is now produced in Bolsward.
They steep a secret blend of herbs and fruits in neutral alcohol. It includes at least gentian root, orange peel and basil. The result is a brown, herbal bitter at 30% that packs a punch. In Friesland, Berenburg is as much a fixture on the table as genever. Outside Friesland, most people know it as Sonnema with cola.
In brief
What kinds of Sonnema are there?
Sonnema Berenburg
The one-liter bottle with the blue label, just as you know it. Spiced and bittersweet, with a real bite.
Sonnema 1860
Fresh herbs go into every batch, and more of them. Richer, fuller and stronger than the regular bottle. If you’re looking for a Sonnema Berenburg gift, this is the bottle.
Sonnema Oranje Boven
Just regular Berenburg, but in an orange bottle. For King's Day, the European Championship and any other orange-themed celebration.
Sonnema 50 cl
A smaller bottle. Handy if you only have a drink now and then or want to try Sonnema first.
Sonnema pocket flask
Flat, fits in your jacket pocket and comes along to the ice or on a walk. That’s simply tradition in Friesland.
Sonnema Berenburg & Cola
Sonnema with cola, already mixed in a can. Drink it chilled, with ice if you like.
The regular one-liter bottle does it all. Straight, with cola and as a kopstoot.
What does Berenburg taste like?
Spices & orange peel
Warm spices with orange peel, bay leaf and a hint of licorice. You can clearly smell the alcohol too.
Bittersweet and full-bodied
First, you taste a little sweetness. Then the spices and bitterness of gentian root come through. It’s bolder and drier than Jägermeister.
Long and warming
The bitterness and spices linger. It warms you up, which is exactly what you want on a cold winter day.
This is how Sonnema Berenburg tastes straight, served at room temperature. Sonnema 1860 is fuller and more spiced.
Three ways to drink Berenburg
Berenburg is a spirit. Pour it straight into a small glass. Do you drink Berenburg chilled or at room temperature? Either way is fine. Add cola and it becomes a Frisian long drink.
Straight
Fill the shot glass to the brim and serve chilled from the fridge or at room temperature. Frisians sip it slowly, never knocking it back all at once.
Glass: shot glass →Sonnema and cola
Pour 50 ml Sonnema and 150 ml cola into a highball glass full of ice and add a lemon wedge. By far the best-known way to drink it outside Friesland.
Glass: highball glass →Kopstoot
A shot of Berenburg with a small glass of pilsner on the side. Have the shot first and then the beer, or alternate. It's the Frisian version of a kopstoot made with genever.
Go to recipe →Recipes and cocktails with Sonnema
Berenburg isn't really a cocktail spirit. But it can take the place of whisky or vodka in a few classics, and the results are often better than you'd expect.
Kopstoot
A shot of Berenburg with a glass of beer on the side. Not a cocktail, but a tradition.
Berenburg Mule
Use Sonnema in a Moscow Mule instead of vodka. Add lime, ginger beer and plenty of ice. The spices and ginger go well together.
Warm Berenburg
Hot water, honey and lemon, with a splash of Sonnema instead of the usual whisky. Delicious after skating.
All shots
Berenburg, B52 and all the other shots and drinks, each served in the right glass.The right glass for Sonnema
For drinking neat and for a kopstoot, choose a proper shot glass. For Sonnema and cola, use a highball glass. These are the Berenburg glasses we recommend ourselves.
Questions about Sonnema Berenburg
Can't find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or send us a message.
Go to the cocktail recipes →What is the alcohol content of Sonnema Berenburg?
What is Berenburg?
How do you drink Berenburg?
What's the difference between Sonnema and Sonnema 1860?
Is Sonnema the same as jenever?
How long does an opened bottle of Sonnema last?
Buy Sonnema
Want the bottle delivered straight to your door? Order Sonnema online from Gall & Gall. Gall & Gall has 9 varieties, 3 of which are on sale.
Prices as of November 4, 2026, as provided by Gall & Gall. You can check the current price and stock at Gall & Gall. Glazen.nl receives a small commission if you buy something through these links; it won't cost you anything extra. No 18, no alcohol.
