Every now and then, a new spirit is born that comes in and shakes up the bar scene. The one that I'm becoming more and more intrigued by is Genever. And more specifically, Bols Genever.
Genver is in a league of it's own when it comes to spirits. It's been protected as of 2008. Think of the French AOC with wine. Genever can only be made in Holland and a few nearby areas from high quality ingredients.
In the 1800's, the import of genever was 6x bigger than gin and most cocktails that are mixed with gin were originally mixed with genever.
Bols Genever is distilled from a whiskey-esque triple grain made from corn, wheat, and rye which the Dutch call "maltwine." It's then carefully mixed with juniper-berry distillate and brought to 42% alcohol which was carefully chosen so that it had the perfect aroma and mouthfeel. They've been distilling genever since 1664 at Bols and the recipe was finally perfected in 1820.
The taste of the genever is bold, complex, and powerful. By itself, it's honestly not very pleasant. It has the flavor of a malty gin and the mouthfeel of a malty whiskey. The best way to do it is to mix it with a gin cocktail. It adds a new depth of flavor. I personally like it in a Negroni or a Tom Collins.
There are only a few bars in NYC that carry it, but if you find it there or at the liquor store, DEFINITELY give it a try.
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