Tasting Room · Centrum · Amsterdam
De Drie Fleschjes
Amsterdam's oldest proeflokaal: fifty casks on the wall, genever filled to the brim, and 376 years of practice.
The Pitch
Pouring Since 1650
De Drie Fleschjes has served genever at Gravenstraat 18, behind the Nieuwe Kerk, since 1650, which makes it Amsterdam's oldest tasting room. The Bootz distillery opened it so customers could taste before buying.
Fifty wooden casks line the wall, and Difford's Guide lists the proeflokaal as a required stop in any genever education.
Since the 17th century, departing Amsterdam mayors have had their portraits painted on bottles here. Around thirty mayors hang in the collection.
The Room
Sand, Casks, and No Music
Sand on the floor, barrels to the ceiling, and a room that has needed no redesign in three centuries. izi.travel records poets, painters, and admirals at the 1650 opening, Rembrandt among the names.
I amsterdam counts it among the best spots in the city to drink jenever the traditional way.
The Drinks
Oude, Jonge, Kopstootje
Order an oude genever from the cask, served filled to the brim; lean down for the first sip rather than lifting the glass. Pair it with a beer for a kopstootje, the little headbutt that is the Dutch boilermaker.
The list runs local and regional beers plus traditional Dutch liqueurs alongside the genever wall, per the official site.
The Crowd
A Living Museum That Still Works
Afternoon drinkers, Dam Square wanderers, and genever loyalists share the sand floor. It closes by 8:30pm, so it is an aperitif room, not a night out.
What regulars say:
- Yelp reviewers call it a living museum that still works as a bar.
- Difford's Guide lists it among the essential genever stops in the city.
- Tripadvisor reviewers flag the brimful pour and the lean in sip as the moment to come for.
Who it is for:
- A first genever done properly
- History that pours rather than sits behind glass
- Avoid if you want cocktails or late hours
The Verdict
Where It Lands
Three hundred seventy six years on, the room still does exactly one thing. Order the kopstootje and let the wall of casks make the argument.
Good to Know
Visit Information
Getting there: Gravenstraat 18, two minutes from Dam Square, directly behind the Nieuwe Kerk.
Timing: Afternoons only, roughly 2pm to 8:30pm Monday to Saturday and Sunday 3pm to 7pm; treat it as the aperitif stop.
Cost: Standard proeflokaal pours; a kopstootje round stays modest by Centrum standards.
Make a night of it: Start here, take the tiny counter at Cafe de Dokter, and finish under Cafe Papeneiland's Delft tiles in the Jordaan.
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