Cocktails with Genever
Genever is the juniper-flavored grain spirit of the Netherlands and Belgium — the malty ancestor that gin grew out of. But where gin is juniper-forward and dry, genever’s signature is malty, bready grain, with juniper only a background note.
ABV35–46%That covers most bottlings, and strength varies by style.
How it's used
It suits stirred and built drinks, where its malty body shows. Style matters: oude and korenwijn add weight and grain flavor, while jonge behaves like a soft, less-dry gin. Most gin recipes in Jerry Thomas's 19th-century bar guide name no style, and historian David Wondrich reads them as genever, then called Holland gin.
Substitutes for Genever
Another genever
Use the same amount. The oude and korenwijn styles provide the fullest body.
A great swap one for one. The flavor turns out lighter and more botanical, but keeps its roundness thanks to slight sweetness.
Yields the leanest, driest result. It carries no malt wine at all, only juniper and botanicals.
