Bols Over in Amsterdam

By Sandra Scott

John and I were relaxing at the Novotel Amsterdam City trying to decide what places we most wanted to visit—we only had three days. Our Amsterdam City Card permitted free admission to museums and discounts at other attractions along with free transportation. Looking through the booklet I saw House of Bols Cocktail & Genever Experience.

“John, Amsterdam truly has a museum for everything. Have you ever heard of Bols and Genever?” He had not nor had I. The House of Bols Cocktail & Genever Experience sounded like the perfect place to end a day of sightseeing.

We set out to explore Amsterdam. Just steps from the Novotel we hopped on the tram, got off at the end of the line near the railroad station, and proceeded to the dock for a tour of the canals with Holland International. It was the perfect way to get an overview of Amsterdam. After the one-hour tour we hopped back on a tram and headed to the Van Gogh Museum where we spent several hours viewing his masterpieces.

Across the street from the Van Gogh Museum is the House of Bols, one of Amsterdam’s newest attractions. Lucas Bols started the company in 1575. It is touted as the World’s Oldest Distillery. Interestingly, Bols invented genever; the British tried to copy it and ended up calling it gin. The short tour started in the Hall of Taste and Smell where 36 puffers allowed us to guess and smell aromas from strawberry to white mint, from coffee to peach, and more. Taste tests helped us understand that 95 percent of taste is determined by smell.

There were other displays but nothing that compared to the colorful Mirror Bar, where bartenders prepared cocktails with flair. Using a computer that offered cocktails that were sweet, sour, strong, or weak, we picked our cocktails. John picked the Original Collins with two shots of Bols Genever, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and sparkling water, accented with a lemon wedge. I opted for the Improved Holland Gin Cocktail with two shots of Bols Genever, Bols Maraschino liqueur, sugar syrup, absinthe, and angostura bitters, with lemon zest.

One cocktail is included in the reasonable admission fee along with two shots of Bols flavored liqueurs. Our City Pass gave us a 25 percent discount. Picking a cocktail was easier than deciding on two of the colorful arrays of liqueurs. I finally decided on the Bols amaretto and lychee while John opted for the Bols coffee and passion fruit. We would have liked to try more but then we would have been Bols over! Bols also offers a cocktail workshop and a bartending academy.

Visit www.houseofbols.com, and www.holland.com

Sandra Scott is a frequent contributor to travel publications and to Creators Syndicate
and has co-authored two books on local history. She lives in Mexico, NY.

Photos by J. J. Scott.

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