If you’re ever learning about the history of gin, one spirit you’ll often see referenced is genever. If you’ve never tried this drink or even heard of it, then you’re not alone, as it is rarely seen outside its homeland of the Netherlands. However, it’s worth getting to know genever if you’re interested in historical spirits or even if you’re just interested in trying something new.
Genever’s bold, earthy taste is great for fans of more robust spirits, but if you’re new to it, cocktails are a great way to get to know it better. Here, four bartenders mix up delicious drinks made with genever. Try them at home, and you’ll likely find a favorite new bottle for your bar.
If Bond Were a Dutchman
(Created by Derek Williams, The Dutch Ale House, Saugerties, New York City)
Genever can be infused like any other spirit to give it a more complex flavor. “This is a fun play on the Vesper Martini, showcasing the deep, malty qualities of the Bols and the herbaceous traits of the Cap Corse and Zubrowka Bison Grass vodka,” Williams said.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 ounces burnt orange-infused Bols Genever*
- 3/4 ounce Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka
- 3/4 ounce L.N. Mattei Cap Corse Aperitif Blanc
- Rolled orange peel, for garnish
Method
- In an ice-filled mixing glass, combine the first three ingredients and stir.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
- Garnish with a skewered orange pinwheel.
*Bunt orange-infused genever
- Take the peels of two whole oranges, and carefully char them with a kitchen torch until uniformly blackened.
- Add those to the genever along with the peel of one raw orange.
- Let sit overnight before the first use, but leave the peel in the bottle to develop the flavors deeper.
Captain Barnacles
(Created by Kacie Lambert, Stay Gold, New York City — now closed)
“Captain Barnacles is a Highball spin-off of a Salty Dog that was built with Old Duff Genever in mind,” Lambert said. “The light and refreshing notes that come from our house grapefruit cordial, mixed with the smooth malted components in Old Duff, makes for a refreshing yet savory cocktail.”
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Old Duff Genever
- 1 ounce Ford’s Gin
- 1 ounce house-made grapefruit cordial*
- 6 dashes saline solution
- Soda water, to top
- Grapefruit peel, for garnish
Method
- Add all ingredients, except the garnish, to a highball glass filled with ice.
- Top with soda water.
- Garnish with a grapefruit peel.
*Grapefruit cordial
- Mix the peels of two grapefruits in a bowl with 1/2 a cup of sugar.
- In a separate bowl, mix the peels of two additional grapefruits with 1/2 a cup of vodka.
- Let both bowls sit for one day.
- Combine the contents of both bowls and add the juice of four lemons.
- Stir for about 10 minutes and fine strain into a clean container.
- This will keep in the fridge for one month.
The Genger Bread Man
(Created by Dan Rook, Ever Bar, Los Angeles)
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Bols Genever
- 3/4 ounce Faretti Biscotti Famosi
- 1/4 ounce Bonolli Amaro Of
- 1/2 ounce ginger syrup
- 1/4 ounce cinnamon syrup
- Dash of absinthe
- Gingerbread crumbs, for garnish
Method
- Combine all ingredients (except gingerbread crumbs) in a shaker with ice.
- Shake thoroughly and strain into a glass of your choosing.
- Garnish with gingerbread crumbs. You can also dust the rim of the glass with fine crumbs or garnish with a whole cookie if desired.
Mr. Sunshine
(Created at Tinker to Evers, Chicago)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces Bols Genever
- 1 ounce Bigallet Thyme Liqueur
- 3/4 ounce lemon juice
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Lemon peel, for garnish
Method
- Add all ingredients to a shaker tin with ice.
- Shake vigorously and strain into a Nick and Nora glass.
- Garnish with a lemon peel.
What’s the difference between gin and genever?
You may have heard that genever is similar to gin, and looking at these recipes, you can see that it’s used in a similar way to many classic and iconic gin cocktails — mixing it with sharp citrus flavors and herbal liqueurs. But while both gin and genever make use of juniper as their main botanical, and while genever is generally considered to be the historical precursor to gin, the two are quite different in some key ways.
Gin is made from infusing botanicals, primarily juniper, but also other herbs, fruits, and spices, into a neutral base spirit. Genever is a blend of both a neutral base spirit (which is something like a vodka or an unaged whiskey) and a juniper-infused spirit, which is something like a gin. You’ll find both “old” and “young” genevers, which refer not to whether the spirit has been aged (like a whiskey is) but rather to how it is distilled, and the proportions of different distillates that go into it.
Because there is a variation possible in base ingredients and distilling techniques, it’s worth trying out a range of different genevers if you’re interested in learning more about this drink and its history.
