Jenever (Old Dutch and English spelling: Genever) is the “granddad” of all gin, and a traditional Dutch distillate. Like gin, it is distilled with juniper berries (which in Dutch are called jeneverbessen). Where genever differs from gin is in the malt. That said, clear genever typically contains no more than 15% malt, whereas aged genever has at least 15% malt and is barrel-aged. Aged genever is a smooth alcohol to drink on its own, like whiskey. Clear (young) genever is what clear tequila is to others: to do shots. In fact, a popular combination is a kopstoot (literally: head butt), which is a shot of genever (typically poured into a tulip-shaped shot glass) chased by a beer—and in the Netherlands, that is usually a lager beer. All manner of combinations are possible, of course. Try an aged (oude) genever and see how it pairs with an IPA. Both clear and aged genever are a great base for a cocktail. In summer, pick a clear genever (or your favorite gin), muddle some lemon with mint and honey, and top it up with sparkling water. Of course, add a little Dutch orange flair ;-).