Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Best
Drinking
Despite its wild party-animal reputation, Amsterdam remains a cafe society,
where the pursuit of pleasure is more about cosiness and charm than hedonism.
Coffee, beer and Dutch gin fill local cups, each a fine companion for whiling
away the afternoon on a sunny canalside terrace.
Brown Cafes
Bruin cafés
(brown cafes) are Amsterdam's crowning glory. The true specimen has been in
business a while and gets its name from centuries' worth of smoke stains on the walls.
Brown cafes have candle-topped tables, sandy wooden floors and sometimes a house cat
that sidles up for a scratch. Most importantly, brown cafes induce a cosy vibe that prompts
friends to linger and chat for hours over drinks - the same enchantment the cafes have cast
for 300 years.
Other Places to Drink
Grand cafes are spacious, have comfortable furniture and are, well, just grand. Designer
bars are trendy with cool interiors.
Proeflokalen
(tasting houses) were once attached to dis-
tilleries. They're great places to try
jenever
(ya-
nay
-ver), aka Dutch gin.
What to Drink
Lager beer is the staple, served cool and topped by a two-finger-thick head of froth - sup-
posedly to trap the flavour. Heineken and Amstel are the most common brands. Brouwerij
't IJ and De Prael are delicious local brewers. Besides beer, cafes always serve wine and
coffee. The latter is quite popular: the Netherlands consumes more java per capita than any
other European country besides Denmark.
