Visit House of Bols in Amsterdam
In 1575 the Bols family set up a liquor distillery in Amsterdam.
You thought gin was British? Think again! Genever was the juniper flavoured liquor from which gin eventually evolved and is specific to the Netherlands. There are two types: oude (old) and jonge (young). Oude is an older process and distilled from malt, jonge is the later type and contains more grain, giving a lighter flavour rather than the richly developed flavours of the oude.
You can visit the House of Bols in Amsterdam which is a combination of a museum and drinking emporium. It’s just round the corner from the Rijksmuseum, one of the world’s greatest art galleries. Handy tips: Go to the Rijksmusem first and admire the amazing art, then nip, via the eminently Instagrammable IAmsterdam park, to the House of Bols. Admiring the art whilst a little bit squiffy might not be the best way to appreciate Rembrandt and the other Dutch Masters’ finest paintings.
Obviously you need to be over 18 to partake of any alcohol on offer but the museum element is also interesting.
There are a variety of experiences you can choose from. Our ticket gained entrance to the museum, a cocktail at the end of the tour and two shots of booze from the enormous selection on offer in the shiny mirror bar.
History of The House of Bols Amsterdam
The tour takes you on a journey through the history of the company.
You get to visit the flavour hall where you learn about how you taste and get to sample the multitude of flavours on offer. (Bear in mind that some of the flavour exercises you can try, given you are in Holland, may result in a liquorice-y taste sensation which really isn’t at all fun if you don’t like liquorice!)
There is an amazing array of tastes to experience. Have a whiff then try to guess the flavour – the answer is given beneath the number on the wall.
Then it’s onto the technicalities of how to make genever and the history of distilling. This way…
House of Bols Mirror Bar
And finally to the mirror bar.
You can choose a cocktail using the electronic machines which help you determine your ideal cocktail via a series of options and then ask the bartender to make it for you. Best Cocktail Ever: The Bols Bloody Mary.
And this particular incarnation had (vegetarians look away now)… bacon! Bols vodka, tomato, lemon juice, spicy Tabasco heaven WITH ADDED BACON. Deep joy.
Our ticket allowed a further two shots from the magnificent selection. You could try to recall which flavours had tickled your nostrils in the house of flavour but we found that a more interesting alternative was to try the neat genever shots so that we could taste the difference between the different types. You can, for example, compare an oude genever and jonge genever. Jonge is a clearer gin, more akin to vodka, whereas oude has a maltier taste with a complexity of flavour you might associate with whisky. Both hugely enjoyable though.
Sorry that the following photo is slightly out of focus but we were mildly sozzled when we took the shot of the shots…
There are a number of different tours available for the House of Bols, including cocktail making experiences.
If you’re interested in other cocktail recipes they can be found here:
[…] part of the tour we learned about the history of gin – that it originated in the Netherlands – and also about the different botanicals used in the gin-making process by making a […]
Bacon with your cocktail? Oh, go on then! Not gonna lie, that seems a bit weird but I’m fully intrigued, ha!
Loving the out-of-focus picture, that’s what you call a good day at the office.
Thanks for commenting. Oh, the bacon was so wrong but so right!! Yes, we were definitely a bit squiffy by the time that picture was taken. Enjoy your trip to Amsterdam, we are sure you will love it!