Oranjebitter

Some drinks are recipes, and some are banners. Oranjebitter is the second sort, though the Dutch, being Dutch, managed to make the banner drinkable, bitter, and best prepared weeks before anyone waves it. The name already tells you the joke and the loyalty at once: oranje, orange, for the House of Orange, and bitter, because celebration in the Low Countries is allowed to keep a straight face.

But let me tell you a secret. This is not a sweet orange liqueur wearing a little national colour for Koningsdag, King's Day. It belongs to the old Dutch habit of steeping peels, roots, seeds, and spices in strong drink until the bottle carries a memory of the apothecary as much as the tavern. Bitter orange peel gives the backbone, fresh orange peel gives brightness, and jenever, our juniper spirit, gives it the proper Dutch spine. Vodka will obey the recipe. Jenever will tell the story.

Hou het altijd simpel, always keep it simple. You are not distilling, only infusing. Peel carefully so the white pith stays behind, shake the jar when you remember, taste before the bitterness grows bossy, then sweeten just enough to make the drink pourable without turning it into syrup. Serve it cold in small glasses. A flag in a glass does not need a long speech.