Ask for “jenever” in an old Dutch bar and the bartender will often fill a tulip-shaped glass to the very brim, set it on the counter, and wait for you to bend down and take the first sip without lifting it — the traditional way to avoid spilling a drop. This juniper-scented grain spirit is the ancestor of English gin, and for centuries it was distilled in such volume around the town of Schiedam that the place earned the nickname “Black Nazareth” from the soot of its malt houses. This is Guide № 004 in The Love Netherlands Guide series.
In this guide
- What Jenever Actually Is
- Oude, Jonge, and Korenwijn
- How It Is Served: The Kopstoot
- Schiedam and the Distilling Tradition
- The Gin Connection
- Myths Worth Retiring
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Guide № 004: Dutch Jenever — in a beautifully designed, printable booklet.
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