De Drie Fleschjes, Amsterdam

De Drie Fleschjes is a narrow Amsterdam tasting bar, where jenever and liqueur have long been offered for sampling. The building you see dates from 1888 and was designed by Willem Vuyk and Jan van Rossem. It is a Rijksmonument.

Along the wall, a wooden cask display forms a drankorgel, a working arrangement linked to an old method of judging the contents of stills by tapping and listening. The wooden floor retains its covering of sand, an old house custom. This bar once belonged to the Bootz distillery, whose former building remains next door.

Try the house speciality: a kopstootje pairs jenever with beer. The tulip glasses are filled to the brim, so the custom is to bend down for the opening sip before picking up the glass. That small ritual belongs especially well in this compact, timeworn room.