Drinks of the Netherlands

Wed, Nov 14th 2007, 00:00

Any meal in the Netherlands can be washed down with a glass of Jenever (Dutch juniper berry gin).


Jenever, or Gin, is an alcoholic drink that has a delicate aroma and distinct taste not found elsewhere.The recipe for gin is said to have originated in Italy in the 12th or 13th Century when alchemists discovered the distilling process and distilled medicine laced with all sorts of herbs and extracts.

Beer

The Dutch were importing hops from 800AD when the avid beer drinking Germanic tribes occupied the country. Legend has it they used the skulls of their conquered enemies as drinking mugs.

Beer was brewed at home using juniper berries, ginger, caraway seeds, and anise for flavouring. It was the most popular beverage from 1200 to 1650 when the water was too polluted to drink, and wine too expensive.

Holland began growing her own hops from the 14th century and breweries blossomed. Almost every Dutch city had its own brewery. Tasting houses, known as proeflokalen, were established so that prospective customers could sample the distillery’s liquors and place orders. This they would carry home in their own bottles.

The tasting houses were very plain – wooden casks and bottles lined the walls and a long counter ran the length of the room.

Today the tradition of the tasting houses continues in the many bruine kroegen (brown cafes) located throughout Holland. They all have distinctive brown walls and ceilings, further coloured through time and cigarette smoke!

The traditional drinking ritual when a drink arrives is for the customer to stand straight up, hands behind their back, to take the first sip.

Today there is a revival of the traditional style of brewing houses in boutique breweries that have sprung up around the country. These breweries are tiny, but their product distinguishes them from the well known commercial beers such as Heineken, Amstel, Grolsch, Brandt and Skol.

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