Genever, An Old-School Gin That's Hot Again
William Hogarth’s engraving "Gin Lane," to represent the 18th century gin craze.
Last winter, I blogged wistfully about the scarcity of the august and historic style of gin known as genever. Also known as "jenever" or "Holland gin," genever is the original style of gin. Produced in the Netherlands, genever was such a hot commodity in the mid-18th century, it was condemned as a "social menace" in England. But genever's reputation didn’t stop American bartenders from using it to create an array of ancestral gin cocktails a century later.
Richer, maltier, and with a greater depth of flavor than today’s typical London Dry style of gin, genever was considered the style of gin for the better part of two centuries. Ah, but that was then.
In recent years, genever has all but disappeared from the U.S. market. Brands such as Zuidam and Boomsma can be found in well-stocked stores in a handful of cities, and a San Francisco-produced genever-style gin, Genevieve, began trickling into liquor stores about this time last year.
Now, genever may be experiencing a second wind. Last week, Lucas Bols—the massive Amsterdam-based spirits company that has been in business since 1575—announced a global relaunch of Bols Genever, based on a recipe the company has used since 1820. The first bottles should start appearing in bars and liquor stores in New York at the end of this month, and in San Francisco and London in the days that follow.
From the looks of the PR rollout, Bols is banking on a big welcome to genever from bartenders and consumers. Keep an eye out in your neighborhood, and once you’ve had the chance to taste it for yourself, please jump into the comments section and let us know what you think.
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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5 Comments:
Ahh, Bols Genever... I loved the classic earthenware cylindrical bottle, and the traditional way of pouring (put the glass on the counter and pour until the meniscus rises above the lip, then sllllurrp). I used to keep the bottle in the freezer. I was dismayed when it was no longer available; this is great news that it's coming back. Are they still going to use the original bottle? Also, I wonder if anyone remembers a vile concoction from Bols called "Parfait Amour" -- it was a vivid purple and tasted vaguely of oranges.
Welmoed at 6:05PM on 09/10/08
My understanding is they're using a new bottle design, but one that's inspired by the original (or at least the recent version)--same shape, a period-appropriate font, etc. Head over to the website for a photo--it actually looks pretty nice.
I haven't tried the Bols Parfait Amour, but I have a bottle of the Marie Brizard Parfait Amour. Violet in color and flavored with violet petals, orange peel and vanilla, it's an unusual character--Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh has compared its flavor to that of purple jelly beans. Not bad, necessarily, just hard to use--I can't imagine drinking it straight, but there are a few cocktails that call for it, and it lends an interesting touch.
Paul Clarke at 6:36PM on 09/10/08
God I love this website.
DanielJ at 11:00PM on 09/10/08
As the importer for Zuidam Dry Gin and Genever Gins, the increase interest in Genevers has alowed me to start the process in bringing in a 5 year old (oude) new oak aged Genever. This special bottling will be very limited and should be in the states by Christmas. It is a beautiful product with a richness of vanilla not experienced by any of the other Genevers or Dutch style gins currently available.
raward at 11:33AM on 09/11/08
@raward -- that sounds very exciting; please keep us updated on the distribution of this product.
Paul Clarke at 1:00AM on 09/12/08