If you’re in to pushing your alcohol envelope, head to Belgium and take a long luxurious dip in to lake genever, their indigenous spirit. Once a medicinal tonic in the 16th century, this juniper flavored liquor, the precursor to gin is a traditional liquor of Belgium, The Netherlands and two provinces in the North of France. It may not heal that which ills you, but it can certainly ease the pains.
De Vagant has committed itself to all things genever and has played an impassioned role in genever’s recent renaissance since their opening in 1985. De Vagant, a family run business includes a bar, restaurant and shop. This evocative spot, on a quaint side street in Antwerp’s busy city center feels like an old Hemingway haunt or a spot Kerouac would have called his own if it crossed his path. The bar offers more than 200 different kinds of genever varied in taste, aroma and potency with an alcohol percentage between 30 and 54. Their fruity genevers are a chapter unto themselves of which there are 29 varieties.
Try one of their homemade plates and pours as they take cook with genever, which adds an exquisite flavor to their rich Belgian dishes. Slowly sip on the spirit and indulge in the cuisine and atmosphere steeped in local, low-key hipness. If I lived in Antwerp, often called the other Paris, this would be my definitive local.This spot is one stop shopping for all things Belgian. Good news is that you can take it with you. Pop in to their shop across the alley for an even larger selection of genevers. Their 400 flavors of genever and large selection of Belgian liquors should have all of your spirit savvy scenesters back home drooling in their bar stools. www.devagant.be and www.antwerpen.be.
In edgy Ghent, once the Manahattan of the Middle Ages, T Dreupelkot is a tiny ambient spot on the city’s busy river front. If you meet any one from Ghent, no matter their age or affiliation, they all oddly know the proprietor of T Dreupelkot, Pol, the Santa of the spirits world. The white bearded one is as much of a draw as the spirt itself. He holds court nightly behind the tiny bar serving over 200 flavors of the home distilled spirit. You can spice it up with an herb infused jenever or go for the more decadent vanilla or chocolate.At approximately $2 USD a pop, it’s no wonder the place is chock a block every night of the week in to the wee hours of the night. It’s a mad mix of punters and a great place to meet locals, travelers, poets, business execs, lost souls and the wildly inspired from all corners of the globe.
If you want to take a bit of the magic back, pop across the river to Pol’s beer & gin shop. It’s a beautiful loft like spot with river views. If you didn’t know Pol was a big man in town, his own label with his iconic image displayed on the many bottles filling the floor to ceiling cases and the Warhol inspired artwork adorning the walls with Pols iconic image just may convince you he’s the bigman on campus. He’d never tell you. He doesn’t have to. www.visitgent.be and www.visitflanders.com.
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