Jenever has been brewed in Hasselt, Belgium, since the 18th century. The juniper schnapps is considered the forerunner of the trendy drink gin, but differs from it in that it uses grain mash stored in oak barrels as the base alcohol.
Ethyl alcohol, usually from wheat, serves as the base for gin.

In its homeland, Jenever is also mainly enjoyed neat and chilled. And a good opportunity for this is the Jenever Festival in Hasselt.
The program includes music, dance, and street theater.
There is jazz in the monastery, parades of the Brotherhood of the Burners, and art exhibitions. A waiters' race, in which the winner wins his weight in juniper schnapps, is also part of the festival program.

The main role of the two-day event in mid-October is of course played by Jenever. Visitors can taste the spirits throughout the city - on Maastricht Street even from the bronze fountain Borrelmanneke, from which a fountain of Jenever then flows instead of water.
In a specially built culinary village, local chefs serve dishes made with Juniper brandy. A flea and book market and a children's program round off the festival.