Wynand Fockink Drinking Activity / Historic Bar / Tour

Dam Square, Amsterdam –

An old-fashioned Dutch liqueur distillery and tasting house in business since 1679, Wynand Fockink is an entertaining place where patrons can still take part in a unique Dutch drinking tradition.

Snazzy shot glasses of sweet, bitter, strong, and/or fruity liqueurs are filled to the rim and lined up on the bar – and the trick is to lean over and drink the shots from where they sit rather than to lift them up.

There’s never any music and no place to sit except for the benches outside, but the bartenders are extremely friendly and love to introduce visitors to this aspect of Dutch culture.

Dusty wooden shelves behind the bar are weighed down by bottles of jeweltoned liqueurs, and descriptive menus explain the aromas customers can expect with each order as well as the history behind the humorous names of the shots.

The crowd of liqueur-loving regulars is usually infiltrated by a good number of young locals and curious travelers, all of whom engage in light-hearted banter in this small and cozy setting.

Wynand Fockink is an experience and a bar unlike any other in Europe – plus, patrons can buy one of those fancy shot glasses to practice the drinking tradition at home.