Celery Gin: gin as it was meant to be

For almost 150 years, they have been there to supply you with your much-needed gin and genever. Generation after generation, the Rutte family passed down their recipes, including the one for Celery Gin. One of our favorite gins from the Netherlands.

What makes it so special? From the very beginning, Rutte Distillery has experimented with unique herbs and spices. Celery Gin contains, you guessed it, celery. Not the stalk, but the leaves. Combined with, among other things, orange peel and angelica root, it creates a fresh, savory flavor that isn’t too dominant. Perfect for your gin and tonic, for example. Not some trendy mix with all kinds of bells and whistles, but simply pure, just as it was intended.

Celery Snapper
When I think of celery and cocktails, I immediately think of a Bloody Mary. You can only make that with vodka. “If you replace the vodka with gin, it’s a Red Snapper. With Celery Gin, it’s a Celery Snapper,” says Myriam Hendrickx, director of Rutte Distillery.

Jörg Meyer of Le Lion bar in Hamburg—the bar is one of the 50 best in the world—created the Celery Basil Smash, another cocktail that is fantastic with Celery Gin. Basil is very fresh, slightly savory, and therefore a perfect combination with the celery in the gin. According to Hendrickx, the Celery Basil Smash has since become Le Lion’s signature cocktail—and that with Dutch gin. Something to be proud of. Curious? You’ll find the recipe below!

Based on an old recipe
In 1872, Simon Antonius Rutte founded the distillery in Dordrecht. The distillery is no longer owned by the Rutte family. Since 2003, Myriam Hendrickx has been the master distiller: the eighth in succession, but the first from outside the family. Entirely in keeping with tradition, she ensures that every new product contains a piece of the company’s history. The old recipes have been carefully preserved and form the basis of every new distillate.

Limited-edition sherry genever
This week, a limited-edition sherry genever is being released. If you want to try it, you’ll need to be quick, because only 1,100 bottles will be produced in total. Five years ago, Rutte put its genever in sherry casks that had previously been used to mature Pedro Ximenez sherry. And there’s good news: the sherry genever will be released on four different occasions. In the coming years, a new batch of sherry cask genever will be released every year around Christmas—each time with a different flavor. So at least we’ll have something to look forward to in the coming years!

Recipe: Celery Basil Smash
Method
Combine all the ingredients (below) and shake, then double-strain and serve in a tumbler with ice. Slap a sprig of basil by hand and add it as a garnish.