genever

Also known as “Geneva gin”,“genever gin”,“Schiedam schnapps”,“Jenever”,“Hollands gin”. Genever is generic for malty Dutch/Belgian/German grain spirits that played a prominent role in the 19th Century evolution of the cocktail as well as serving as the direct antecedent of English gins that are today much better known. Originally (prior to the invention and adoption of the continuous still in the mid 1800s), genever was a pot still distillate of cereal grains (rye, corn, barley and/or wheat). These early genever styles were a bit like an unaged whiskey. With the introduction of continuous distillation, various styles of genever gradually emerged that employ different levels of blending with neutral spirits and botanicals. Today, pure malt wine genever is extremely rare, but currently an assortment of styles is available regionally. Genever is sometimes mentioned in the context of gin. It is, in a general way, the antecedent and inspiration for the English gins. However, genever is not gin. Much of the confusion stems from 18th and 19th Century English-speaking Americans calling it “gin” or “Hollands gin”, referring to it as such in many early bar manuals.