151 replies to this topic

[Scotttos]

I spotted Genevieve at Astor Wines yesterday, so it's there if anybody in NY has been wanting to try it out.

It's sporting a new darker bottle as well.

[slkinsey]

Sweet.

I happened to run into the new American rep for Bols last week, and apparently they would like to bring Bols Genever back to the US.

[plattetude]

Psst. I just picked up a bottle of Genevieve at Crossroads (14th St. at 6th Ave) in NYC.

[Yay.]

Christopher

[slkinsey]

I picked up a bottle myself on Wednesday. Haven't had a chance to play with it much yet. I wonder if this means they're going to put it into regular production?

[TVC]

I picked up a bottle myself on Wednesday.  Haven't had a chance to play with it much yet.  I wonder if this means they're going to put it into regular production?

I was told that Anchor are still unsure of what the long term plans are for the Genevieve but LeNell's and Astor seem to be the only places that have it in stock. Alex at Death & Co. made some fantastic drinks with it. One was in a julep cup and seemed to be a variant of a South Side.

[plattetude]

I was told that Anchor are still unsure of what the long term plans are for the Genevieve but LeNell's and Astor seem to be the only places that have it in stock.

Uh, as I said above, it's also currently available at Crossroads.

Christopher

[TVC]

I was told that Anchor are still unsure of what the long term plans are for the Genevieve but LeNell's and Astor seem to be the only places that have it in stock.

Uh, as I said above, it's also currently available at Crossroads.

Christopher

Sorry, missed that. It's obviously become, at least for the time being, available in NYC in the past month.

[Mike S.]

For those in Northern California / Bay Area, Beltramo's in Menlo Park typically has Genevieve in stock. 3 bottles as of yesterday afternoon.

[Bunnyhugs]

I did a post on Genever on my site a few days ago. I compared four different brands available in New Zealand (two from Bokma, one from Bols, and one from De Kuyper). I wanted to include the Genevieve, but had no luck accessing a bottle. It looks like New Zealanders are going to miss out on that particular product, despite Anchor's other gear being available here.

I am working on a follow up post or two on Genever cocktails. I will get that up in due course. In the meantime, try Genever in a hot gin and milk. I realize it is out of season for most of you, but down here things are turning wintry. Oude style genever is so definitely the gin you want to use in a gin and milk. Malty and smooth, with the botanicals almost resembling an eccentric take on chai. Very nice indeed.

Anyway, link below.

http://bunnyhugs.org...rison/#more-777

[Mayur]

That's a wonderful website, BTW! I've visited it many times; awesome stuff.

So, I tried the Genevieve in a riff on the Improved Holland Gin Cock-Tail:

2 oz Genevieve
1 tsp simple
1/2 tsp maraschino
1/2 tsp nocino
2 dashes grapefruit bitters

I have no idea why I made this, except that I just got back from visiting a friend in the hospital and just went on autopilot making a drink. I thought nutty-malty the first time I tried the Genevieve, so went with the nocino for some more nut bitterness. (Skipped the absinthe because I thought it'd add too much in the herbal/bitter departments.)

[plattetude]

Last week, I stirred together a couple of Bijous using Genevieve for the gin and Carpano Antica for the vermouth -- interesting variation, considering how much is going on already between the vermouth and green Chartreuse already (not to mention the orange bitters). The maltiness of the gin makes it a very different drink indeed.

Christopher

[scratchline]

Finally broke into the genever the other night and I am an instant convert. No serious cocktailian can afford to be without a representative of this style. The nose is instantly captivating. Rich and fruity. Not at all like a London Gin. Jenny pointed out that it has much more in common with a fine reposado tequila. First up: An Amsterdam Cocktail ala cocktaildb.com:

1 1/2 oz genever
3/4 oz orange juice
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 dash orange bitters (Bitter Truth)

Shake, Strain. Garnish with orange twist.

Second: Improved Holland Cocktail ala Dave Wondrich

2 oz genever
1 t simple syrup
1 t maraschino (Luxardo)
2 dashes Peychaud bitters.

Stir on ice in glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Each of these were absolutely outstanding summer cocktails. Light and subtle and refreshing and absolutely sui generis thanks to the base spirit. Can't vouch for the jonge version but the oude is essential, and I will definitely return from Europe with more of this and with the korenwijn as well.

Cheers.

[Bunnyhugs]

Amsterdam Cocktail ala cocktaildb.com:

1 1/2 oz genever
3/4 oz orange juice
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 dash orange bitters (Bitter Truth)

Shake, Strain.  Garnish with orange twist

The Amsterdam is a good one. One of the better genever cocktails from CocktailDB.

[Chris Amirault]

Got my hands on both Oulde and Jonge Boomsma the other day, and I made the Improved Holland Gin Cock-Tail as described above: fantastic. It's a drink that will showcase lots of bitters, too.

If Boomsma is just good, I'm eager to see what the rest of the world of genever will bring.

[Chris Amirault]

The Fitty-Fitty made with Jonge is pretty interesting. It's not mind-blowing, but that maltiness rises with the vermouth and does fun things with the orange bitters. (I use a 50/50 Fee's/Regan's bitters mix for this.)

[Chris Amirault]

Grabbed a bottle of the Genevieve at LeNell's -- thanks to the NY crowd for leaving a few for us slowpokes from up north -- and made an Improved Holland Cock-Tail with

2 oz Genevieve
1 tsp simple
1 tsp maraschino
dash Regan's #6 bitters
dash Fee's orange bitters
dash Pernod

There are a few cocktails that I immediately think, "I have to make this for my friends." Then there are the smaller number that cause me to scheme, "This one's just for me."

What a fantastic spirit, and what a fantastic cocktail. If this is what Jerry Thomas had in mind, he truly was a genius. Thanks, Jerry, and thanks, Dave.

[Scotttos]

Grabbed a bottle of the Genevieve at LeNell's -- thanks to the NY crowd for leaving a few for us slowpokes from up north -- and made an Improved Holland Cock-Tail with

2 oz Genevieve
1 tsp simple
1 tsp maraschino
dash Regan's #6 bitters
dash Fee's orange bitters
dash Pernod

There are a few cocktails that I immediately think, "I have to make this for my friends." Then there are the smaller number that cause me to scheme, "This one's just for me."

I'm of the same mind as you with "this one's just for me," but maybe for different reasons, haha. I've made these on various occasions for a handful of people (including my girlfriend who is pretty well versed) and the results have been overwhelmingly disappointing. ......

Turns out no one can really get their head around the taste of the genevieve.

It's unfortunate but then again I only have a few bottles soooo.....

[Philip Duff]

If you want to taste an absolutely awesome genever, you shouldn't have to wait too long - Bols Genever was launched today in Amsterdam, and events will follow soon in New York, San Francisco and London (details www.bolsgenever.com )

It's a terrific, bold old-school genever that I helped develop when I was global brand ambassador at Bols, and it's just about the coolest project I've been involved with the last few years. It's a relief to be able to finally talk about it!

There'll be US distribution, and lots more, and if you absolutely can't wait, drop by the Juniperlooza! myself, Simon Ford and guest Juniperloozan Angus Winchester will be doing at Sydney Bar Show in a couple of weeks - I may well have a bottle or two with me...

Edited by Philip Duff, 03 September 2008 - 10:04 AM.

[slkinsey]

Bols has long been a favored genever. Indeed, the first post in this thread (dating to 2005) laments the fact that Bols had recently decided to stop distribution to the States. We'll be very happy to see it back here! I ran in to the US brand guy at Pegu Club some months ago, so I was aware that there were plans to bring it back. Any ideas as to when it will hit the states? And which versions? A Jonge and Oude are expected, but a Korenwijn would be great.

[Chris Amirault]

Welcome to eG Forums, Philip, and great news! Any sense of what the timeline will be for broader US rollout? If we should start bugging our retailers, let us know.

[Philip Duff]

Thank you sir - I must have lurked here for a couple of years!

Without divulging any sensitive info - I was global brand ambassador and consultant for Bols until just last week - I imagine you should be seeing it early Oct, because the launch events are in NY and SF at the very tail end of Sept. So get bugging those liquor stores. Although, as ever, the US is a mighty big place and if you're not on the trendsetting east coast or gin-slurping west coast it may not be so swift...hell, nip over here and buy a few bottles, kids don't need collge, they can use the Internet!

The genever itself is lush and it's a single version. It's strong, bold, maltwine heavy and just lovely; a real 1820s style genever, in no way a Jonge and not a Corenwyn either.

[perfumekev]

Philip can you confirm who will be doing the importing?

Can't wait for the Genever should be great!

I found out much to my chagrin that Bols Damrak Gin is no longer being imported.

since Bols split from Remy Cointreau William Grant & Sons who was thier other importer says that they won't import Damrak because they don't want it to compete with thier Hendricks Gin which they own.

This I don't understand considering that Hendricks and Bols Damrak taste nothing alike they are two totaly different beasts!

thanx
Kev

Edited by perfumekev, 22 September 2008 - 09:08 AM.

[perfumekev]

I also heard that Zuidam will be launching a limited eddition Aged Genever around the holidays.

[perfumekev]

I've been loving Genever in the Easter Sour style format.

this comes from some Trader Vic book and from one of my Jeff Berry books

the Trader Vic book names each sour after the base spirit used in it.

so we can call this the Amsterdam sour?

adabted from Trader Vic's the Eastern sour recepie



Juice of 1/2 orange about 2 oz big oranges
Juice of 1/2 lemon about 1oz.
2oz. Genever
1/4 oz orgeat
1/4 oz rich simple syrup /made with a vanilla bean.
dash angostoura bitters
tiny "and I mean tiny" dash of absinthe
egg white if preferd but not nessisary

shake

serve in a large old fashoned w/ ice with orange slice cherry and sprig o' mint

[perfumekev]

Philip?

what other interesting things are happening with Bols? that you can talk about since you are not working there any more.

[slkinsey]

Nice article in the NY Times about genever and the reintroduction of Bols Genever:

Malty and Complex, the Original Gin Is Making a Comeback:

Next week Lucas Bols, a Dutch company that was founded in 1575, will start to sell its genever in the United States again. It was last imported in quantity about 50 years ago, but small amounts have seeped into the United States since then. Grain shortages in Holland during the world wars and Prohibition in the United States combined to do in the export of genever.

The Lucas Bols genever joins a few other brands of genever already on the market. Zuidam and Boomsma are imported from Holland. And earlier this year, Anchor Brewing and Distilling, the San Francisco company that makes Junipero, a dry gin, started selling Genevieve, a genever that it had developed about 10 years ago.

Lucas Bols decided to reintroduce its genever because of demand from bartenders, said Sandie van Doorne, the company’s creative director. “There’s a strong trend to going back to original authentic tastes,” she said. She also said that over the years the genever that was sold in Holland had become more neutral in response to popular tastes. But that trend is reversing. “We felt we now had a mandate to create a new future for genever,” Ms. van Doorne said.

[bostonapothecary]

yikes that stuff is expensive. i'm pretty sure they just redistill their london dry style gins with malta goya...

[Chris Amirault]

$26 and $28 for Boomsma? I can get both oude and jonge for $14 here.

[eje]

Tonic? Why on earth would you mix Genever with tonic as part of the taste test?

Soda, sure. But tonic? That's like making a whiskey tonic.

[Chris Amirault]

Judging from the pitch of the article, aimed at the G&T crowd, I guess Fabricant wanted to avoid the inevitable cocktail party faux pas. Missed opportunity for education, though.

And given that one of the best cocktails I've ever had is posted here, her implication that there aren't many good cocktail options is odd. I can imagine that Wondrich was talking about the gin/genever comparison when he said,

It’s harder to use it in mixed drinks and cocktails, and it’s not good in a martini because it’s no good with dry vermouth,

but harder don't mean impossible. And you don't need blueberry syrup, either.