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 Jenever (Dutch Gin) in Utrecht

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Make it at home

Serves 25 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 60ml oude jenever (Bols Oude Genever or Boomsma Oude Genever), straight from the freezer
  • 330ml Dutch pilsner (Heineken or Amstel) or a Belgian witbier
  • 2 small tulip-shaped tulip glasses (kelkje), frozen
  • 2 standard beer glasses, chilled
  • 1 thumb fresh ginger, peeled (for an optional jenever infusion below)
  • For a flavoured infusion option: 500ml jonge jenever
  • 4 strips lemon peel
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 tablespoons honey

Method

  1. For the canonical kopstootje serving: fill each frozen tulip glass to the brim with cold oude jenever; the meniscus should bulge slightly over the rim.
  2. Pour the cold pilsner into each beer glass, leaving a tight head.
  3. Set both glasses in front of each drinker. The drinker bends down to the bar, hands behind the back, and sips the jenever from the rim without lifting the glass.
  4. Lift the beer to chase, alternating between sips of jenever and pulls of beer.
  5. For a flavoured infusion option: combine jonge jenever, lemon peel, cinnamon, cloves and honey in a clean glass jar. Steep at room temperature for 5 days. Strain through muslin and bottle. Serve straight from the freezer in tulip glasses.
  6. The Dutch say a kopstootje a day keeps the doctor away; one in the morning is called a vroege duif (early pigeon).

Editor tip. Real jenever is distilled from a malt-wine base; London Dry gin is not a substitute. Bols Oude is the canonical brand for the kopstootje format.

Common allergens: Gluten in some malted varieties.