A grain spirit flavoured with juniper, distilled in the Nord since the 18th century. Drunk neat and very cold after a plate of carbonade, or stirred into coffee.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Joseph Claeyssens converted an oil mill on the Deule at Wambrechies into a genever distillery in 1817, and it still runs one of the last French genievre productions on a near-unchanged process. The spirit became the drink of the region's miners and textile workers, taken neat for warmth or poured into coffee to make a bistouille. It won a prize at the 1935 Brussels international exhibition and reached its peak in the 1930s. In Lille it is the correct thing to order after a heavy estaminet plate.
Tip from the editors. Never serve genievre at room temperature. Cold is what keeps the juniper clean rather than medicinal.
Au Vieux de la Vieille spills onto the cobbles of Rue des Vieux Murs in Lille, the terrace estaminet locals send visitors to for carbonade and welsh.
Why locals love it: It sits on the tiny Place aux Oignons rather than the main circuit, which keeps the terrace calm on a busy Saturday.
Tip: Take the terrace on Place aux Oignons rather than a table inside. It is the quieter side.
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