Zephyrus – Spiritus Rex Null Serie Boskoop

All of the Spiritus Rex eau de vies are rare. However, in his “Null Serie” Matthias only bottles his extremely rare spirits. This is why I am extraordinary looking forward to present you with an article on the “Schöner von Boskoop Brand” (Belle de Boskoop). For a drink I took a forest floor near an orchard as an inspiration.

Well, since the Null Serie eau de vies are so rare, there is not much information on them out there. All I can tell you is that the eau de vie in my bottle with the number 20 was distilled in 2014. On top of that, it is bottled at 42 % ABV. Knowing Matthias I guess that the apple eau de vie also was slowly fermented at low temperatures and not filtered.

Atypical and typical at once

When comparing the Boskoop to Matthias’ other eau de vies, its rather reserved and subtle taste stands in contrast to the almost lavish and rather complex flavours of the others. The style of the eau de vie reminds me of the Capreolus eau de vies. However, if you keep in mind that this is a single variety apple spirit, you are not surprised by this. I dare not to say that apple eau de vies are not complex, but most of the time they hide their multiplex flavours rather than showing them off like pear and plum eau de vies do. All in all, Matthias’ “Schöner von Boskoop” presents some apple notes accompanied by a lot of fruit skin, rose petals and noticeable spices. You have to take your time to discover them all, but this is also what makes this eau de vie interesting!

Forest and orchard notes

The idea for the  “Zephyrus” stared off as a kind of Gimlet variation. However, I wanted to use the d’Arbo Sicilian Lemon Syrup and therefore had to add more lemon juice than I would in a regular Gimlet. Next, I thought it would be a good idea to contrast the apple and floral flavours of the Null Series with some resinous flavours. This is why I added a few dashes of the Hepple Douglas Fir Vodka, which basically is a Douglas Fir eau de vie. Usually, you would shake this cocktail, because it contains lemon juice. Since, I prefer my Gimlets stirred, too, I went for that way of preparing the cocktail.

When sipping the Zephyrus your taste buds are first hit by a sweet and sour mix of lemon notes. However, after a bit the Spiritus Rex works its way through to the top. The Douglas Fir Vodka lingers in the back and gives the drink resinous and pine notes. All in all, I would describe the drinking experience as kind of funky, but vey intriguing. The cocktail certainly is not an easy sipper, but does demand your attention!

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The Null Serie was provided by Spiritus Rex and the Douglas Fir Vodka by Tender Spirits.