Comments on: Nips – 8/28/09

By: ljclark

ljclark — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:31:00 +0000

This is encouraging news, Steven. Thanks! Bily Kun is a great bar, cocktails or no.

By: Steven

Steven — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:09:46 +0000

Just saw this old post, but if you’re looking at the Montreal bar scene, you should know that Boston-style cocktail culture is very new there. Most places serve cruise ship-style sugar water. Bily Kun is cool, but it’s mostly a beer and music bar.

However, there’s a new place called Lab right next to Parc La Fontaine, and one of the partners has visited Drink (and loved it). Their cocktails can be very good and inventive, though they need to expand the dry side and lose the Tom Cruise flair (I know, I know). Staff is very nice and dedicated, and it’s definitely worth a visit.

If you get sufficiently hammered, you can stumble down the street at 3 a.m. and have the best poutine in the city at La Banquise.

By: Fievel

Fievel — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:59:01 +0000

Don’t forget to mention that Russ Greene, charming Vermonter and former B-Side bartender is also joining the staff over at Highland. He and Bice are two of the hardest working, and beardiest bartenders I’ve ever worked with.

By: Rip

Rip — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:43:53 +0000

As for “how do you pronounce it,” Chuck and Lauren both have it right. Over here, stress the first syllable and every bar worthy of repeat visits will know what you’re talking about.

If’n you’re hoity toity, or you’re actually over in the low lands, the Dutch spell it with a J and stress the second syllable (which sounds like, well, “née” (not quite “nay” or “knee”) and the last syllable has a slight huffy sound (well, like “heffer”…muddle the v and f and you’ll be near it).

I’ve been to Amsterdam a fair bit, maybe half a dozen times (…on business…shutup you,,,). There, if you order genever, you usually get a knowing nod, sort of a “oh, so you’re ready to *drink*, well, let’s get you started.” On at least one trip got schooled pretty fierce on Genever’s history etc.

If in Amsterdam, you could do worse that hit up theDe Drie Fleschjes, a pretty nice proeflokaal, not far from the New Church and the central train station. Too bad it closes so dang early.

Bols isn’t the only brand out there, though, and I don’t always favor it when I have choices…nor is there only one kind of genever in the Dutch market: they have Jonge, Oude, and something essentially similar called Corenwijn (basically pronounced “corn wine”). I liken it to Mezcal, if genever is tequila; that’s a stretch, but the analogy works for me and maybe that helps somebody else calibrate as well.

Ketel makes a nice Jonge genever. Henkes was another favorite. Bols’s Oude is pretty good, though, and I actually prefer Bols Corenwijn to most of the others.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:38:35 +0000

The first pronunciation I got from Philip Duff, who’s lived in Amsterdam for 15 years. The second I got from my friend Daniel, who was born and raised in the Netherlands.

Now that I’m thoroughly confused by the two of them, I’m happy as long as I say something that gets the right hooch into my glass.

By: ljclark

ljclark — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:02:32 +0000

I love Bily Kun! Ostrich heads mounted on the wall, beer from Cheval Blanc (another great bar). Reservoir is cool, too. Good food, as I remember.

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:40:53 +0000

I was just in Montreal, and found it to be much more of a beer city than a cocktail city.

Dieu du Ciel is indeed amazing, and I also loved a bar in the Plateau called Bily Kun and another brewpub called Reservoir.

They seem to like their spirits bitter and Italian – at Bily Kun, lots of people were drinking fernet and tonic.

By: ljclark

ljclark — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:44:02 +0000

Actually, Slim, at the Bols Genever launch party, I heard that the distiller pronounced it JENever (like Jennifer with a “v.”) However, thanks to Chuck (hello, friend!) for giving me the green light to go on pronouncing it the English way.

Thanks to Lis and Holliday for the Montreal food/drink recommendations! I’m due for a visit.

By: MC Slim JB

MC Slim JB — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:34:44 +0000

Like many words I read and never hear pronounced, I guessed wrong, in this case rhyming Genever with “Jennifer”. The Dutch, I’ll guess, would pronounce it yay-NAY-ver, because they’re Dutch and all. So until corrected, I’m pronouncing it like I imagine a Netherlander would.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:09:11 +0000

““If I’m ordering genever at a bar in Boston, I should pronounce it …”

je-NEE-ver.

But if you’re in Amsterdam I think it’s something more like “ye-NAY-v’r.”