Genever

[Jake_Parrott]

I'm looking for old references for botanical and/or mash recipes for the making and elevage of oude genever. If in Dutch, any interpretation help would be appreciated as well .

Thanks in advance!

[mier]

I can help you with any translation but try this site first www.jenevergenootschap.nl don`t you worry they understand English too if not let me know.Succes.

Eric.

[Jake_Parrott]

Can you check the spelling on that site? I'm getting a DNS error.

[mier]

Sorry my mistake it has to be www.genevergenootschap.nl

Eric.

[Jake_Parrott]

Sipping a super-simple Old-Fashioned made with Anchor Genevieve (dash Petite Canne Martinique cane syrup, 3 dashes Regan's orange bitters, 3 dashers Fee Bros Old-Fashioned bitters, mixed and poured over ice in a chilled rocks glass, very small slice of lemon). This is a delicious, and uber-classic drink. And after a weekend of cask-strength bourbon, a delightful change.

I hope those of you who tasted the Genevieve this weekend learned something from it. And, those of you with access to barturtle the rest of the year: he has the rest of the bottle.

[Gillman]

In many ways, the original American "bittered sling" (the ur-cocktail) was similar: a white spirit, perhaps a little aged, some sweetening, bitters. From the ti-ponche to the mojito to the Margarita, the idea still has currency.

Those who happen upon a bottle of young whiskey (say, regular Ancient Age of today) might try this. You can't go wrong, as Jake didn't with his ponche Hollandais.

The old English pink gin is almost what Jake is talking about, in fact.

Gary

[barturtle]

Thanks again Jake for leaving the rest of that bottle in my hands, I had been trying to search it out for a while.

[craigthom]

That was good stuff. For me the grain and herbs blended seamlessly.

[Jake_Parrott]

"Bittered sling" is just another word for "cocktail." Base, sugar, water, bitters. Or what we call an "Old-Fashioned" now. Add absinthe, maraschino, and sometimes an orange liqueur, and it's an "Improved" cocktail.

[cowdery]

Sounds interesting. How'd I miss it? (Must have been that third helping of Van Blankle.)

[Gillman]

Jake, in Byrn's 1870 Practical Distiller, he makes some general comments about genever and I paraphrase as follows: genever gin is generally flavored with juniper and the original purpose was to cover over the "empyreutic" taste of young grain spirit. In those days, oude genever was made as it was originally from an all-cereals, low-distilled mash, as was the excellent Anchor version you brought. He states that in time people became accustomed to the flavor. He notes that other flavorings are used, such as lemon and coriander, and sometimes juniper is omitted completely. I believe that the flavorings are similar whether the gin is highly rectified or not, and the key difference between genever gin and London Dry is the intensity of grain flavor. Therefore, Anchor's approach to flavoring its genever is traditional.

In Byrn's day, "Hollands" as it was termed was a huge drink, it was shipped around the world by the Dutch and acquired cachet in many parts of the world including Britain and its possessions or former colonies.

I am quite sure it was drunk in a way similar to the cocktail you described; with water; with ice; and with soda. Some would have taken it neat and probably these were milder or oak-aged versions.

In Quebec today, de Kuyper is made locally under license and is somewhat similar to the Anchor drink except it has a sharp spearmint-like flavor. It is different IMO to the Dutch-made de Kuyper. I assume the latter is a blend of gennuine oude and more neutral spirit but it has (the Dutch and Canadian ones) plenty of taste. I'll bring the Quebec-made one to the next gazebo. I used to drink it with bitters and ice. I didn't add sugar because it has some already, or did, seemingly, when I last drank it.

In Quebec, this older form of gin is called "gros gin" (big gin), quite appropriately. It was a favored drink in the Quebec countryside where it was taken in winter often with honey and hot water (this was told to me by some family members who reside in Quebec City).