If you ask Sebastiaan and David about their grandfather, Bobby Alfons, they will tell the story of how he emigrated to the Netherlands and deeply missed the flavors of his birthplace, Naku, on the Moluccan ‘spice island’ Ambon.
Sebastiaan: “I remember the inspiring days at grandfather Bobby’s house, filled with family and laughter, with the aromas of spices like lemongrass, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, and cubeb peppers enchanting the room — the botanicals he used to infuse his Dutch jenever.”
Fast forward two or three decades, and the grandsons felt it was time to explore their family tradition, specifically their grandfather’s traditional spice blend, his Pinang Raci.
Sebastiaan: “I started my professional career in the beverage industry, but I needed to find my own path. I was ready to create something different, something exciting, and something from the heart. My mother and I connected the dots, and during a long discussion at the dinner table, she suggested: ‘What about grandfather Bobby’s recipe?’”
With the help of the entire family, we recovered and reconstructed grandfather Bobby’s traditional Pinang Raci recipe of infusing jenever with a mix of spices. In the end, Aunt Betty recalled the blend of Indonesian spices. This is where the grandsons' journey to create Bobby’s Gin began."
East meets west
Bobby’s journey
Dutch Courage
In Schiedam, the distilling capital of the world, the distillery produced its first jenever — the malty ancestor of gin. This unique spirit became well known to the English navy fighting at sea as ‘Dutch courage.’ When returning home, the British tried to duplicate jenever but failed. Their result evolved into dry gin: jenever minus the malt spirit.
Indonesian Spirit
Grandfather Jacobus ‘Bobby’ Alfons, the inspiration and namesake of Bobby’s Gin, emigrated to the Netherlands from Naku, Ambon. Bobby was well known for skillfully infusing Dutch jenever with his Pinang Raci spice blend, which reminded him of home: Naku on the Moluccan ‘spice island’ Ambon. Infusing jenever with spices and creating his own Pinang Raci was a daily routine for Grandfather Bobby. Fueled by intuition and a genuine love of flavor, Bobby infused his favorite spirit with traditional spices. This recipe is the core and foundation of Bobby’s Gin.
The Discovery
The grandsons discover their grandfather Bobby’s Pinang Raci recipe with the help of their Aunt Betty. Intrigued by their grandfather’s spirit infusion, they travel to the juniper-soaked city of Schiedam to meet the master distiller. Together, they begin developing a contemporary and exciting dry gin by balancing Bobby Alfons’ spice blend with Schiedam’s botanical jenever heritage.
Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin
After almost two years of tasting and refining, the liquid has found its perfect recipe. Bobby’s Gin is the result of an exquisite blend of Indonesian and Dutch botanicals, capturing the spirit, heritage, and tradition of both East and West in a celebration of what a dry gin can be.
A special design
Bobby’s historical ties to both East and West, the Netherlands and Indonesia, are beautifully captured in the iconic bottle and label design. A modern interpretation of a classic Dutch jenever bottle (kruik) showcases the label with a traditional Indonesian ikat weaving pattern, screen-printed onto the grey and brown smoked glass bottle.
The launch
Bobby’s Gin was launched in the Netherlands on February 12th, 2014. The contemporary, spice-driven dry gin caused a stir among Dutch bartenders and gin enthusiasts, quickly building a legacy with a dedicated fan base.
Bobby’s Jenever
Expanding the range, Bobby’s Jenever is launched as a companion to Bobby’s Gin. This expression, created by the grandsons, is malt spirit-based, very fresh, and fragrant with natural Indonesian spices and botanicals. The legacy of grandfather Bobby Alfons, which began in 1951 with infusing jenever with his own spice blend, is completed with Bobby’s Jenever, bringing the family circle from grandfather to grandsons full circle.
Bobby’s 5 YRS Edition – jenever-based dry gin
To mark the fifth anniversary of Bobby’s Gin, a unique, limited-edition spirit is introduced. Bobby’s 5 YRS Edition celebrates 5 years of successful collaboration between Bobby’s grandsons and the Dutch Distillery — a ‘wooden marriage.’ For the base of this spirit, the master distiller has selected an extraordinary Notaris malt spirit jenever from batch 2014, the birth year of Bobby’s Gin. Together, the grandsons and the master distiller have crafted an exceptional combination of Bobby’s botanical flavor profile, Notaris malt jenever, and 5 years of wood aging in carefully selected and treated virgin bourbon barrels — symbolizing the wooden marriage between both parties. The result is a very complex, smooth, and versatile jenever-based dry gin. Upon its release, Bobby’s 5 YRS Edition became a true collector’s item, highly sought after by both gin lovers and jenever connoisseurs.
International expansion & gold medals!
Bobby’s spirits are available in more than 50 countries — from Europe to Latin America, and from North America to Asia. International recognition and appreciation for Bobby’s spirits are also demonstrated by gold medals at international spirit competitions, such as the World Spirit Awards (WSA). Bobby’s Gin was awarded a gold medal in 2016 and 2018, Bobby’s Jenever received gold in 2018, and Bobby’s 5 YRS was awarded gold in 2021.
Ready to drink!
Two Ready-to-Drink cans are released featuring our favorite serves: Bobby’s Gin & Tonic and Bobby’s Gin & Pink Lemonade. These canned, bar-quality ready-to-drinks are perfect straight out of the fridge or on ice.
Bobby’s Pinang Raci Spice Blend No.1
Grandsons Sebastiaan and David attribute the success of Bobby’s Dry Gin and Jenever entirely to their grandfather Bobby. However, his legacy extends beyond these spirits and continues to inspire both the present and the future. Therefore, the grandsons and the master distiller continued experimenting with Pinang Raci and the blending of spices, resulting in a series of unique spice blends. With Bobby’s Pinang Raci Spice Blend No. 1, the grandsons bring the tradition of Pinang Raci into 2022 with an aromatic, spice-driven, and heart-warming dry gin.