Genevertasting
A. van Wees
Genevertasting
A. van Wees
PROEFLOKAAL A. VAN WEES
GENEVER TASTING
If you want to get to know a culture, you should definitely do so in a culinary way. In the Netherlands, this means that you can’t go past Bitterballen, Stamppot and Chicken Saté. We already have our Food-Post about that!
When you think of drinks, most people immediately think of Heineken beer. But what many people don’t know: If it weren’t for the Dutch, we would have to live without gin, which is popular all over the world. The forerunner of gin is genever, which is as much a part of Dutch culture as mustard is to bitter balls.
Curious now?
The details
at a glance
WHAT IS THERE
TO TEST?
In 1973, the tasting restaurant A. van Wees opened in Amsterdam, at that time under the name “The Admiral”. Today, it is still the ideal place to immerse yourself in the world of genever.
Here you are offered 17 genevers, which are distilled right next door in the Jordaan district. Genevers are juniper spirits with at least 35% alcohol by volume. They are the precursor of gin, so to speak. But visitors can also expect 60 Old Dutch liqueurs. That’s what makes this a tasting place! In addition, there is also freshly tapped beer on tap and the usual range of drinks. Simple, traditional dishes and snacks are served in a rustic ambience.
The bar, with the illuminated jugs and glass bottles and the original distilling pump in the middle, reminded me a little of an alchemist’s storage cupboard, and after all, the production of alcoholic beverages somehow has something mystical about it.
That sounds a bit overwhelming for you now, and you don’t really know anything about spirits? Don’t be shy, I felt the same way. The friendly staff are really experts in the field. They are proud of their product and its history and are happy to share this knowledge with the guest.
To make it easier to get started, a pre-selection has already been made for us. We decided not only for a genever tasting, but also for a liqueur tasting. We were served four genever and four liqueurs each on decorative wooden boards. This selection impressively showed the differences and the diversity of the respective spirits. Sausage and cheese canapés provided the necessary basis.
As an orientation, one was given a high-quality card on which the respective genever or liqueur was described, and one could note down one’s own evaluation on it. The card was also a nice souvenir to take home.
If you are already a genever or liqueur connoisseur, you can look forward to talking shop with the staff or discovering and enjoying a special drop.
A small warning at this point: even though there are of course only small amounts to try, genever and also liqueurs are high in alcohol and after the tasting I was “easily drunk”. 😉
My conclusion: the price-performance ratio was very good. Personally, I’m more the liqueur type. In any case, the visit to A. van Wees was an experience that should definitely be part of a stay in Amsterdam.
We are going back
Everytime :D
We will be back! See you soon! Chin Chin!
Text and image rights: © Céline Mülich, 2021 – 2024
With the support of Boris Hermann, who bravely tried 😉
