Onder De Boompjes from Grndpa on Vimeo.

 

When you are in Rotterdam for a citytrip, it is worth to visit the distilleries in nearby Schiedam. There you can discover my favorite alcoholic beverage: jenever! It’s a pure natural (and traditional) drink and the best thing about it, is that you won’t get a bad hangover that other drinks (beer and liquors) can cause. Maybe that is because I drink it on the rocks, which sure helps against the dehydration 😉

Jenever is also called Dutch wodka or Dutch gin and only a few countries in the European Union are allowed to produce it. In the late 16th century Jenever was sold as a medicine but nowadays it only cures soberness. Main ingredient is the juniperberry, that was used for it’s alleged medicinal effects. (Juniper is translated in Dutch as ‘jenever’.)

Winter in Schiedam – region Rotterdam

Schiedam, a small city and part of the region of Rotterdam, is worldfamous for it’s jenever with Ketel One as the biggest star. But other distilleries produce fine blends as well, of which ‘Onder de boompjes’ recently became in fashion. Probably this nice short movie was one of the main reasons for the brands revival.

Now I just hope that my Vessyl will recognize jenever.

If you are looking for hotels in Rotterdam, check this previous post. Of find out how vibrant gay Rotterdam is or when you can get the best coffees or burgers.