Editing Jenever (section)

==History==
Jenever was originally produced by [[distilling]] [[malt]] wine (''moutwijn'' in Dutch) to 50% [[alcohol by volume]]. Because the resulting spirit was not palatable due to the lack of refined distilling techniques (with only the [[pot still]] available), herbs were added to mask the flavour. The [[juniper berry]] (which comes from the Latin ''[[juniper]]us''), hence the name ''jenever'' (and the English name [[gin]]), was used for its alleged medicinal benefits.

At least in some regions, such as around Ommen in Overijssel, Netherlands,<ref>Donkers, H. W. H. A. "[https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/141526575.pdf Een slimme boer bedenkt iets nieuws"]. (1997).</ref> jenever is distilled from [[spelt]], an old variety of wheat.<ref name="Peragine 2010">{{cite book |last=Peragine |first=John N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D622JFIFJxcC&pg=PA128 |title=The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Hops, Malts, and Brewing Herbs |page=128 |publisher=Atlantic Publishing Company |date=30 November 2010 |access-date=1 September 2012 |isbn=978-1601383532}}</ref> 

The first written references to genever (or jenever) are found in scientific papers written by several Flemish authors. [[Jacob van Maerlant]] ([[Bruges]], 1235 – 1300) described how to add parts of the juniper tree to a spirit made of distilling wine in his book ''Der Naturen Bloeme'', published in 1266. It was the first writing of distilling in Dutch and had to do with the juniper tree. Later on, in 1522, the Antwerp-based doctor Phillipus Hermanni wrote the first recipe for genever. He described how to mix crushed juniper berries with wine and distill it afterwards. The very first versions of genever were being made for medical purposes and came from distilled wine. Later on, when cold periods drove out the vineyards in Flanders, it was replaced by distilling beer, calling it malt wine.

There is tradition that attributes the invention of jenever to the Dutch chemist and [[alchemist]] [[Franciscus Sylvius|Franciscus Sylvius de Bouve]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bunnyhugs.org/2008/05/11/genever-geneva-or-jenever-history-and-product-comparison/|title=Bunnyhugs » Blog Archive » Genever, Geneva or Jenever? History and Product Comparison|publisher=bunnyhugs.org|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120707002953/http://bunnyhugs.org/2008/05/11/genever-geneva-or-jenever-history-and-product-comparison/|archivedate=2012-07-07}}</ref> (1614–1672). However, the evidence suggests that jenever was already known and used as a medicine in the 1500s.<ref name="difford">{{cite web |last1=Difford |first1=Simon |title=History of gin (1100s - mid-1500s) |url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/g/1108/gin/history-of-gin-1100s-mid-1500s |website=www.diffordsguide.com |access-date=30 April 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Already by 1606 (several years before Sylvius's birth), the Dutch had levied taxes on jenever and similar liquors as alcoholic drinks, suggesting that jenever had by then stopped being considered a medicinal remedy. Furthermore, prior to Sylvius's tenth birthday, jenever appeared in [[Philip Massinger]]'s 1623 play, ''[[The Duke of Milan]]'', which referred to the drink as "geneva". ''Geneva'' was the Anglicized name for jenever (even though the drink has no relation to the [[Switzerland|Swiss]] city of [[Geneva]]), a name that English soldiers had brought back with them when returning from battle in the [[Low Countries]], first in 1587 (well before Sylvius's birth) and again during the early 1600s.

Since the 1950s, Dutch [[flag carrier]] airline [[KLM]] has issued a series of [[List of KLM Delft Blue houses|Delft Blue houses]] modelled on buildings in the Netherlands filled with jenever, which are presented to passengers.