The better half of the Reverse Headbutt - with Smeets Jenever

A daily shot of jenever is the secret recipe for a long and happy life. That’s the remedy that’s passed on from generation to generation. One of the real pioneer brands was Smeets. They started exactly 100 years ago in Hasselt. A couple of weeks ago Tom Smeets asked me if I was interested to receive an “experience box” with his new book around this famous shot of booze. Tom is the great-grandson of founder Gerard Smeets and now runs his own communication company. He is still very much involved in the jenever business started by his family. I received a nice giftbox with a book, a sample of jenever, a glass, a barspoon and even a ready-made cocktail. The cocktail was ‘Gerry’s Gimlet’, which I’m not going to discuss on the blog but I’ll throw a picture in the stories when I sample it. I decided to re-shake another nice cocktail from the ‘Jenever Revival’ book.

Let’s talk about Boilermakers, the typical drink where you serve a shot of whiskey next to your beer. I’m not talking about beer-cocktails like the Mexican Michelada, but two separate glasses in front of you. In Belgium and the Netherlands there is a similar tradition with a shot of unaged jenever and a pilsner beer. It’s called a headbutt. 

If you want to reverse this story, you have two problems to solve. You need a very tasty cocktail, which is strong enough to stand up against the beer. And you need a beer which doesn’t overpower the cocktail, but lifts it up. Bartender Jurgen Nobels developed his own version of this ‘Reverse Boilermaker’ for Smeets Jenever. It’s called the ‘Reverse Headbutt’ (or in Dutch ‘Omgekeerde Kopstoot’). 

Today I’m mostly interested in the cocktail-part of this drink (also because I don’t really like beer), but you can easily pair this cocktail with a 50 ml shot of dark Stout-beer to turn it into a ‘Reverse Headbutt’. The cocktail is an Old Fashioned style drink which adds multiple flavors to the Jenever, without really mixing (or messing) it up. It’s a spirit forward drink that lifts up and enhances the Jenever. 

The Better half of the Reverse Headbutt

Ingredients
60 ml Smeets Jenever
3 dashes Angostura Aromatic bitters
4 dashes Angostura Cocoa bitters 
1 barspoon of vanilla syrup

Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 15 seconds to cool and blend. Strain into a tumbler with fresh ice. Garnish with orange. 

And there is more...
Oh yes, you might want to take a look at our Instagram. Normally I stopped doing contests or give-away's, but since I really like books with cocktail recipes… three lucky people will receive a Smeets Jenever experience box !!! 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.