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Jenever (, ), also known as Hollands, genever, genièvre, peket, or sometimes as Dutch gin (archaic: Holland gin or Geneva gin), is the
juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arc ...
-flavored traditional
liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or h ...
in the Netherlands, Belgium and adjoining areas in northern France and northwestern Germany. As an EU and UK
Protected Designation of Origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...
the use of the term ''jenever'' and its soundalikes can only be used if the product is made according to the specifications in Belgium, the Netherlands, two northern French departments and two German federal states. Gin was developed in Britain after introduction of jenever to the island.


History

Jenever was originally produced by distilling
malt Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malted grain is used to make beer, w ...
wine (''moutwijn'' in Dutch) to 50%
alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol ( ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) ...
. Because the resulting spirit was not palatable due to the lack of refined distilling techniques (with only the
pot still A pot still is a type of distillation apparatus or still used to distill liquors such as whisky or brandy. In modern (post-1850s) practice, they are not used to produce rectified spirit, because they do not separate congeners from ethanol a ...
being available), herbs were added to mask the flavour. The juniper berry (which comes from the Latin ''
juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arc ...
us''), hence the name ''jenever'' (and the English name gin), was used for its alleged medicinal benefits. The first written references to genever (or jenever) are found in scientific papers written by several Flemish authors. Jacob van Maerlant (
Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
, 1235 – 1300) described how to add parts of the juniper tree to a spirit made of distilling wine in his book ''Der Naturen Bloeme'', published in 1266. It was the first writing of distilling in Dutch and had to do with the juniper tree. Later on, in 1522, the Antwerp based doctor Phillipus Hermanni wrote a first recipe of genever. He described how to mist crushed juniper berries with wine and to distill it afterwards. The very first versions of genever were being made for medical purposes and came from distilled wine. Later on, when cold periods drove out the vineyards in Flanders, it was replaced by distilling beer calling it malt wine. There is tradition that attributes the invention of jenever to the Dutch chemist and
alchemist Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim ...
Franciscus Sylvius de Bouve (1614–1672). However, the evidence suggests that jenever was already known and used as a medicine in the 1500s. Already by 1606 (several years before Sylvius's birth), the Dutch had levied taxes on jenever and similar liquors as alcoholic drinks, suggesting that jenever had by then stopped being considered a medicinal remedy. Furthermore, prior to Sylvius's tenth birthday, jenever appeared in Philip Massinger's 1623 play, '' The Duke of Milan'', which referred to the drink as "geneva". ''Geneva'' was the Anglicized name for jenever (even though the drink has no relation to the
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...
city of
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
), a name that English soldiers had brought back with them when returning from battle in the
Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
, first in 1587 (well before Sylvius's birth) and again during the early 1600s. Since the 1950s, Dutch flag carrier airline
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...
has issued a series of Delft Blue houses modelled on buildings in the Netherlands filled with jenever, which are presented to passengers.


Old and young

There are two types of jenever: ''oude'' (old) and ''jonge'' (young). This is not a matter of aging, but of distilling techniques. Around 1900, it became possible to distill a high-grade type of alcohol almost neutral in taste, independent of the origin of the spirit. A worldwide tendency for a lighter and less dominant taste, as well as lower prices, led to the development of blended whisky in Scotland, and in the Netherlands to ''Jonge Jenever''. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
, the lack of imported cereals – and hence malt – forced the promotion of this blend. Alcohol derived from
molasses Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods ...
from the
sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet ('' Beta vulgaris''). Together ...
industry was used as an alternative to grain spirit. People started using the term ''oude'' for the old-style jenever, and ''jonge'' for the new style, which contains more grain instead of malt and can even contain plain sugar-based alcohol. In modern times, jenever distilled from grain and malt only is labelled ''Graanjenever''. ''Jonge jenever'' can contain no more than 15% malt wine and 10 grams of sugar per litre. ''Oude jenever'' must contain at least 15% malt wine, but no more than 20 g of sugar per litre. ''Korenwijn'' (grain wine) is a drink very similar to the 18th-century-style jenever, and is often matured for a few years in an oak cask; it contains from 51% to 70% malt wine and up to 20 g/L of sugar. Although the name ''oude jenever'' does not necessarily mean that the jenever is in fact old, there are some distilleries that age their jenever in oak barrels. About 90% of all ''Jonge Jenever'' sold on the market is a blend from malt wine produced by Filliers in Belgium, sugar beet or grain based ethyl alcohol from factories in Germany, France and (mostly) Russia, and water. Most of the bigger brands contain no malt wine, so resemble in essence vodka. Distilleries in Belgium and the Netherlands actually distilling jenever mostly produce limited volumes of specialty drinks.


Taste

''Jonge jenever'' has a neutral taste, like
vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuriti ...
, with a slight aroma of juniper and malt wine. ''Oude jenever'' has a smoother, very aromatic taste with malty flavours. ''Oude jenever'' is sometimes aged in wood; its malty, woody and smoky flavours resemble whisky. Different grains used in the production process – such as barley, wheat, spelt and rye – produce different flavoured jenevers. The taste is sometimes enhanced by adopting barrels previously used for American whiskey.


Jenever cities

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as i ...
,
Deinze Deinze () is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It comprises the city of Deinze, and the towns of Astene, Bachte-Maria-Leerne, Gottem, Grammene, Hansbeke, Landegem, Meigem, Merendree, Nevele, Petegem-aan-de-Lei ...
, Aalst and
Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far fro ...
in Belgium, and
Schiedam Schiedam () is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen, and south of Delft. In the south the city is connected with the villa ...
,
Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of t ...
,
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
and
Delft Delft () is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, and The Hague, to the northwest. Together with them, it is part of both the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolita ...
in the Netherlands, are well known for their jenevers and often referred to as "jenever cities" (''jeneversteden''). In Amsterdam, jenever is made by ''The Stillery'', ''Van Wees ''and ''Wynand Fockink''. Well-known Schiedam jenever distilleries include ''Nolet'', ''Onder De Boompjes'', ''Pit'' and ''De Kuyper''. (Jenever can appear under the English-language name "schiedam".) Near the Dutch-Belgian border, in
Baarle-Nassau Baarle-Nassau () is a municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. It had a population of in . The town is the site of a complicated borderline between Belgium and the Netherlands, with 22 small ...
, ''Zuidam'' produces traditional jenevers and Dutch liquors. Other jenever-cities in the Netherlands are
Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of t ...
(''Hooghoudt'') and
Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after ...
(''Rutte Distillery''). In Belgium,
Deinze Deinze () is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It comprises the city of Deinze, and the towns of Astene, Bachte-Maria-Leerne, Gottem, Grammene, Hansbeke, Landegem, Meigem, Merendree, Nevele, Petegem-aan-de-Lei ...
is very well known as for the ''Filliers'' distillery and Aalst is well known for ''Stokerij De Moor'' and ''Stokerij Van Der Schueren'', both still active today.
Hasselt Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as i ...
styles itself Belgium's jenever capital, and has a museum dedicated to the drink. Also with the Biercée Distillery in Wallonia, one of only two Belgian distilleries to export their genever to the USA. Dutch-based Lucas Bols produces and sells ''oude genever'', known as ''ginebra'' in Spanish, in
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
. Ketel One is now more known for producing
vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuriti ...
, but started out as, and still is, a jenever distillery.


Drinking traditions

Traditionally the drink is served in a tulip-shaped glass filled to the brim, with the surface tension enabling the jenever to rise higher than the glass's edge. ''Jonge jenever'', colloquially a ''jonkie'' ("young'un"), is usually served at room temperature, sometimes (though this is now quite old fashioned) with some sugar and a tiny spoon to stir. The drink is sometimes served cold from a bottle kept in a freezer or on the rocks (''jonge met ijs''). The higher-quality ''oude jenever'' (and ''korenwijn'') is usually served at room temperature. When jenever is drunk alongside beer (normally lager) as a chaser, it is referred to as a ''kopstoot'' (headbutt), when the glass of jenever is dipped into the beer glass it is called a '' duikboot'' (submarine) in Flanders and the South of Holland. Traditionally, jenever is served in full shot glasses taken directly from the freezer. As the glass is very full it is advisable to take the first sips without holding the glass, leaving it on the table and bending one's back to apply one's mouth to the glass.


Geographical indications

Recognized for its historic and cultural contribution, and subject to production specifications, the European Union protected genever with 11 specific types of jenever as a
geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...
: * Belgium, the Netherlands, small parts of France, and small parts of Germany: genever (''Genièvre / Jenever / Genever''), grain genever (''Genièvre de grains / Graanjenever / Graangenever'') * Belgium, the Netherlands, small parts of Germany: Genièvre aux fruits / Vruchtenjenever / Jenever met vruchten / Fruchtgenever * Belgium and the Netherlands: old genever (''oude jenever / oude genever''), young genever (''jonge jenever / jonge genever'') * Belgium: O'de Flander real East-Flemish grain genever (''O'de Flander Echte Oost-Vlaamse graanjenever''), Hasselt genever (''Hasseltse jenever''), Balegem genever (''Balegemse jenever''), and the Walloon
peket {{unreferenced, date=April 2016 Peket, also pékèt or pèket is an eau de vie (fruit brandy) aromatised with juniper berries, similar to Dutch gin. The drink originates from Belgium and its name is derived from the Walloon word for juniper. Et ...
(''Peket-Pekêt / Pèket-Pèkèt de Wallonie'') * Two provinces of France: Flanders Artois genever (''genièvre Flandre Artois'') * Two states of Germany: East-Frisia cereal grain genever (''Ostfriesischer Korngenever'') The names Genièvre and Genièvre de Jura are also protected geographical indications of Switzerland (recognised in the EU). Protection as a geographical indication of Jenever also applies in Armenia, China, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Moldova, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Japan.


References


External links

* {{Portal bar, Netherlands, Belgium, Liquor, Drink Belgian distilled drinks Belgian inventions Dutch distilled drinks Dutch inventions