Uniquely Belgian liquor?

December 1, 2008 3:51 AM

Liquor-is-QuickerFilter: I'm going to Brussels and Leuven next week and will be doing some holiday shopping.

One of my relatives enjoys a drink (now and then) and I was thinking about bringing back a bottle of something unique -- that is, something one can't find readily in the US.

Any suggestions on a liquor that is uniquely Belgian and unique to Belgium? A one-line description would be great.

posted by scblackman to food & drink (7 comments total)

Elixir d'Anvers is, I believe, the national liqueur - and quite rare outside Belgium.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 3:57 AM on December 1, 2008

If you really like your relative, you will bring back this .

Any other "trappiste" beer will do.

Uniquely belgian and easily available (as in : I suspect my local supermarket is selling it) is the May Wine (locally known as Maitrank).

You should not need to look for a specialised liquor store. The biggest supermarket have a wide range of liquor, most of them of the international, non-traditionnally belgian variety.
posted by Baud at 4:25 AM on December 1, 2008

What about jenever?

Some restaurants/jenever shops do tastings, if you'd like to learn a bit more. Just be prepared to have someone carry you out of there... it's deceptively drinkable stuff.
posted by Grrlscout at 5:15 AM on December 1, 2008

I'd recommend jenever as well. There's a shop in Antwerp that does nothing but - they have loads of them. You don't appear headed that way, but you will probably find the same in Brussels.

You'd be lucky to lay your hands on any of that Westvleteren beer - at least "legally" - the monks only sell it at the monastery gate on certain days of the week, and you're nowhere near Westvleteren. That said, some pubs may have it.
posted by sagwalla at 6:30 AM on December 1, 2008

As mentioned above, you should head over to "De Vagant", a specialist in Jenever (pub & store). Get yourself a bottle of Filliers 8 (jenever aged on oak casks for 8 years, at 50%) - a drink that easily stands up to many fine single malt whiskeys.
posted by swordfishtrombones at 6:59 AM on December 1, 2008

Any other "trappiste" beer will do.

Trappist Rochefort 10 is one very good beer in particular that is very expensive in the US ($8 for a 12-oz bottle) and reasonable in Belgium (under 3 euros IIRC).
posted by smackfu at 7:22 AM on December 1, 2008

Thanks for the tips -- I picked up a bottle of Elixir d'Anvers. I hope that it is better tasting than the Suze that I bought (although I probably shouldn't have taken my first drink of that neat).
posted by scblackman at 5:56 PM on January 3