Indulgences

1. jenever

   Jenever (Dutch and Belgian juniper spirit)

   Usage

   The ancestor of gin, distilled in the Netherlands, Belgium and northern France. "Jonge" and "oude" do not mean young and old in age but refer to the recipe: oude jenever has a higher share of malt wine (moutwijn) and a stronger flavour. It is poured to the brim of a tulip glass, and custom is to bend down and sip the first mouthful without lifting the glass

   Grammar Note

   Masculine noun, so de jenever. A cask-aged version based mainly on malt wine has its own name: de korenwijn

2. kopstoot

   A beer served alongside a shot of jenever

   Usage

   Literally "head-butt". The two are not mixed: a glass of pils and a glass of jonge jenever arrive side by side. A classic order in an old-style Dutch "brown bar", and a strong combination — pace yourself

   Grammar Note

   Masculine noun, so de kopstoot. From kop (head) + stoot (blow); the same word also means a literal head-butt

3. borrel

   A shot of spirits, or the informal drinks gathering itself

   Usage

   Originally a standard glass of spirits, usually jonge jenever; by extension the informal drinks gathering itself, with the Friday-afternoon "vrijdagmiddagborrel" an institution in Dutch workplaces. In Belgium the same event is more often called an "aperitief" or "drink". The snacks that go with it are borrelhapjes, such as bitterballen

   Grammar Note

   Masculine noun, so de borrel, plural de borrels. The verb "borrelen" means to have drinks

4. advocaat

   Thick yellow egg liqueur

   Usage

   Made from egg yolk, sugar, condensed milk and brandy or jenever, about 14% alcohol. The thick domestic version is eaten with a spoon — served in a glass topped with whipped cream and a small spoon — while thinner, drinkable advocaat is made for export. The same word also means "lawyer"

   Grammar Note

   Masculine noun, so de advocaat. With cream it is usually named in the diminutive: "advocaatje met slagroom"

5. pils

   Pilsner (the standard lager)

   Usage

   Ask for "een biertje" in the Netherlands and this is what arrives: a golden bottom-fermented beer of about 5%, best served near 4 °C. The Dutch pour leaves a two-finger head (schuimkraag); a thin one is considered a bad pour. Small glass sizes are called "een fluitje" and "een vaasje"

   Grammar Note

   Both masculine and neuter: de pils and het pils occur. The general word bier is always neuter: het bier.

6. witbier

   Cloudy wheat beer

   Usage

   A top-fermented beer brewed with unmalted wheat (sometimes oats) as well as barley malt, left unfiltered so it stays cloudy, at 5-6% alcohol. A summer standard in both Belgium and the Netherlands, often served with a slice of lemon

   Grammar Note

   Neuter, so het witbier — every compound ending in "bier" takes het. Also called "tarwebier" (tarwe = wheat)

7. bokbier

   Strong seasonal bock beer

   Usage

   Strictly seasonal: the dark version sold from October to February is "herfstbok" (autumn bock), peaking in October and November, while the blond or amber version from Lent to May is "lentebok" or "meibok". German in origin, but since the 1980s the Netherlands has developed it into a style of its own

   Grammar Note

   Neuter het bokbier: compounds ending in bier take het. Also spelled bockbier; labels and bars normally use bokbier.

8. trappist

   Trappist beer, brewed at a monastery

   Usage

   Not a beer style but a statement about who brews it. Under the International Trappist Association's rules the beer must be brewed inside or beside the abbey walls, under the supervision of the monks or nuns, with the proceeds going to the community and its charities. Most Trappist breweries are in Belgium, but the Netherlands has them too, and each brand has its own glass

   Grammar Note

   Masculine noun, so de trappist. The full word is "het trappistenbier" (neuter, ending in bier), but in speech the short "de trappist" is normal

9. berenburg

   Frisian herbal bitters

   Usage

   A herb-infused spirit of about 30%, strongly associated with northern Friesland, drunk chilled and neat. Spellings berenburg and beerenburg have identical pronunciation.

   Grammar Note

   Masculine de berenburg. The general herbal-spirit term kruidenbitter is masculine or neuter: de kruidenbitter / het kruidenbitter.

10. drop

    Liquorice sweets

    Usage

    The Dutch sweet that surprises visitors most, made from the root sap of zoethout (liquorice). Salt liquorice (zoute drop) contains salmiak — ammonium chloride — and is not sweet at all but sharply salty and bitter; the sweet kind is "zoete drop". Liquorice is known to affect blood pressure in large amounts, so do not overdo it. Dutch per-capita consumption is among the highest in the world

    Grammar Note

    In the sweet sense it takes de: de drop. An individual piece is "het dropje" (diminutives are neuter). The same spelling is also an English loan meaning a drop or airdrop

11. shag

    Rolling tobacco

    Usage

    Hand-rolling tobacco has a strong following in the Netherlands and Belgium and is cheaper than ready-made cigarettes. The papers are "vloei" and a rolled cigarette is colloquially a "sjekkie". Indoor smoking is banned almost everywhere, including bars, restaurants and station buildings, so use the outdoor or designated areas. A ready-made cigarette is "de sigaret"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine noun, so de shag, borrowed from English "shag" (cut tobacco). The general word for tobacco is "de tabak"

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