Dutch Jenever appears as a signature dish in 2 Netherlands cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Dutch Jenever (Genever) · Rotterdam
The Dutch ancestor of gin: a malt-wine spirit distilled from barley, corn, and rye, redistilled with juniper and botanicals. Oud (aged) genever is sweeter and rounder; Jong (young) is drier and more gin-like.
Where to eat in Rotterdam:
- Proeflokaal Reijngoud
Jenever (Dutch Gin) · Utrecht
The original Dutch distilled grain spirit, aged in oak barrels. Oude jenever is malt-forward and complex; jonge jenever is drier and cleaner. The basis of the Dutch borrel.
Jenever is the ancestor of modern gin, developed in the Netherlands in the 17th century from distilled grain spirit flavoured with juniper. Oude jenever retains significant malt wine content and is aged in small oak barrels; jonge jenever is a 20th-century lighter style. Utrecht's brown cafes serve jenever as the centrepiece of the borrel, the Dutch informal drinks culture that defines the city's cafe life.
Where to eat in Utrecht:
- Kafe Belgie
- Ledig Erf