PrintGin and Genever
It seems that every time I step into a liquor store, a new gin has appeared on the shelf, from new formulas promoted by established liquor giants to microdistilled boutique gins flavored with ambitious—and sometimes unpleasant—new combinations of botanicals.
But as Jason Wilson pointed out last week in the Washington Post, many gin and cocktail aficionados are ignoring the new gins in favor of something old: in this case, a gin known as genever.
Earthier, heavier, sweeter, and oftentimes more flavorful than the more familiar London dry gins, genever is the venerable ancestor to the now ubiquitous British tipple. Produced in the Netherlands and with a rich cultural history there, genever is also pretty obscure almost everywhere else. While brands such as Boomsma and Zuidam can be found in well-stocked liquor stores in some larger cities, genever is mostly absent from the U.S. market (for his article, Wilson flew to Amsterdam to satisfy his appetite for genever).
Of course, it wasn’t always this way. In his recent book Imbibe!, cocktail historian David Wondrich reminds readers that many 19th century recipes that call for gin as an ingredient were designed with the complex flavor of the then-common genever in mind. And fortunately, domestic distillers may be satisfying some of the demand that Dutch exporters aren’t addressing: last fall, San Francisco-based Anchor Distilling released limited quantities of Genevieve, an artisan-distilled genever-style gin.
Me, I’m a big fan of what genever can do in a glass. Who else has tried this distinctive gin? Which types are your favorites?
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:
I recently hosted a house party, and my dutch friend brought a giant wheel of cheese and two bottles of Genever, old style and new style. Apparently during WWII there was a shortage of key ingredients for genever so a new style was developed that incorporated different flavors. The new style is now more popular than the old.
I liked both. I have to admit we didn't get fancy with the stuff, but it makes a killer G&T, esp if you get real tonic that still has quinine in it.
I thought that it had far more flavor than regular gin, and was actually pleasant to drink rather than something to drink that doesn't stain clothes.
SkinnyFatty at 3:37PM on 02/27/08
Hi!
I'm from Amsterdam and a big fan of genever (spelled as jenever here). Most common and available in every cafe are the young and the old kind (the first is colourless and quite sharp, the old on is transparant yellow and more mellow). My favourite kind is Korenwijn (grainwine I guess, destilled from malt) which is best drunk alongside a dark beer from Belgium called Palm. If you ever come across either of these two, do try! Bye!
Anne-Jet
Annejet at 3:44PM on 02/27/08
I have some Dutch relatives and it seems that there are certain customs surrounding the jenever. My relatives always keep it in the fridge or freezer. They also always serve it in small glasses - straight up. They are about the size of a shot glass, but usually with a stem - and often cut glass. It is sipped - not slammed. Another thing that I've always found interesting is that when they pour it, they always pour the glass very full - like to the brim. Also, when the jenever is chilled like this, it pours like a thin syrup.
robos at 4:07PM on 02/27/08
I found an "old" bottle in my grandfather's bar. Can't recall the label but it was in a craft type cask. Delicious -- and my first and only memory of getting wasted with the old man! It should be available here.
awtane at 4:54PM on 02/27/08
In 1993, while dining at the Black Sheep restaurant in Amsterdam, I was served jenever. It was golden in color and it was definitly a sipping gin. It was a cultural experience that I , obviously, haven't forgotten.
beefeater at 6:06PM on 03/01/08