Tourtonne Slijterij: Paramaribo's Neighborhood Bottle Shop for Surinamese Spirits
An air-conditioned liquor store in Blauwgrond stacked with Borgoe, Black Cat, Parbo and every rum souvenir worth carrying home.
Why Go
Suriname's rum culture rivals anywhere in the Caribbean, but you won't find the good stuff neatly curated in most hotel gift shops. Locals in the Tourtonne/Blauwgrond neighborhood have been walking into this unassuming slijterij on Tourtonnelaan for years to stock up on aged Borgoe, ice-cold Parbo, and imported spirits at prices that make the airport duty-free look silly. It's not fancy, it's not touristy, and that's exactly the point.
The Experience
Slijterij is the Dutch word for liquor store, a colonial holdover that still defines how Surinamese cities handle booze retail. Tourtonne Slijterij sits on Tourtonnelaan in Blauwgrond, a residential-commercial pocket northeast of Paramaribo's historic center, and functions as the go-to bottle shop for the surrounding neighborhood. Step through the door and the air-conditioning hits first (a genuine kindness in Paramaribo's swampy heat), then the shelves come into focus: a wall of Surinamese rum brands you've never seen exported, imported whiskies and gins, wines, mixers, and a steady rotation of cold Parbo and Djogo bottles pulled from the coolers. Staff are used to helping customers pack orders for parties, boat trips into the interior, or gifts to take home, and the shop also does deliveries within Paramaribo. There's onsite parking, which sounds mundane until you've tried to find a spot on the narrow streets around Tourtonne market.
What to Try
Start with Borgoe 8 or Borgoe Extra, Suriname's flagship aged rums from the Suriname Alcoholic Beverages distillery, both smoother and more complex than their price tags suggest. Black Cat rum is the workhorse local favorite, ideal for mixing with cola or coconut water. Grab a Djogo, the shareable one-liter Parbo beer bottle that's practically a national symbol, or a cold six-pack of Parbo for the hotel fridge. If you're building a gift bag, add a bottle of Marienburg 90, a punishing overproof cane spirit that Surinamese drinkers respect and visitors underestimate.
Insider Tip
Ask staff to pack a bottle properly for airline check-in. Slijterij crews here do this constantly for expats and diaspora Surinamese heading back to the Netherlands and are much better at bubble-wrapping a bottle of Borgoe than the average tourist shop clerk. If you're heading upriver into the interior for a lodge stay, buy your rum, mixers and cold beer here before you leave Paramaribo. Prices double or triple once you're past Atjoni, and the selection collapses to whatever the boat brought last week.
The Practical Stuff
Address: Tourtonnelaan, Blauwgrond, Paramaribo (plus code RRRX+4PP). Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00-17:00, Saturday 8:30-14:00, closed Sunday. Amenities: air-conditioned interior, onsite parking, packing for travel, delivery within Paramaribo. Payment: cash in Surinamese dollars is safest; card acceptance is inconsistent at neighborhood slijterijen so bring backup SRD. Roughly a 5-10 minute taxi ride from the historic center; combine with a visit to Tourtonne market or a stop at one of the warungs on Anamoestraat.
Pair It With
- Tourtonne Market — Just around the corner, this is where locals shop for Javanese-Surinamese produce, spices and street snacks. Combine a market wander with a bottle-shop stop for a proper neighborhood morning.
- Warung dinner in Blauwgrond — Blauwgrond is Paramaribo's Javanese-Surinamese quarter, famous for family-run warungs serving bami, saoto soup and petjil. Pick up a Djogo of Parbo here first, since many warungs are BYO or have limited drinks lists.
- An Aanansi ATV or 597SpeedUp watertubing day trip — Both are nearby adventure operators. Stock the cooler with cold Parbo and a bottle of Black Cat rum here before you head out, because there's nowhere to buy decent booze once you're on the river or in the bush.
- A lodge stay upriver from Atjoni — If you're overnighting at a Saramaccan or Upper Suriname River lodge, this is your last realistic chance to buy quality rum and cold beer at Paramaribo prices before the long drive south.