Considered to be a predecessor to gin, jenever is a Dutch spirit that was originally distilled from malt wine. Since the drink had a sharp and unusual flavor, it was often infused with various herbs, including juniper – which eventually led to the creation of the name jenever.
Two distinct styles that exist nowadays are old (oude) and young (jonge) jenever. The former is similar to the original jenever and is mainly distilled from malt, with a small proportion of neutral alcohol, while the young style has a higher concentration of a neutral spirit and it's especially suitable as a cocktail ingredient.