Taste the Summer in this Genever & Tonic Cocktail with Lavender & Lemon
Genever (or jenever) belongs to the eaux-de-vie family of grain-based drinks and is an ancestor of gin. Genever gained popularity in the Netherlands in the 16th Century when it was distilled on an industrial scale in Schiedam. The drink soon caught on in the rest of Northern Europe, especially in Great Britain where it was renamed gin. While London-style dry gin is now more widely known, genever is certainly worth rediscovering. It has a more complex distillation process and flavour profile and can be aged in oak, which is why it is usually served pure and unadulterated in the Netherlands, but you can just as easily use it to add character to your favorite gin-based drinks, such as gin and tonic.
Once the drink your granny nursed, the classic gin and tonic has undergone a recent renaissance. Part of the transformation involves presentation, with the highball making way for the balloon glass (a large, round wine glass will also do). The real difference is the attention paid to garnishes, which are not there for mere decoration, but serve to bring out certain characteristics in the cocktail. The lemon in our version brings out the citrus flavors in the tonic, while the lavender lets the botanical aromas of the genever blossom.
See Also
Apple Cream Cocktail Recipe
Red Light Cocktail Recipe
Strawberry & Yogurt Cocktail Recipe
