Genever (Jenever in Belgium) is a white spirit that is flavored with juniper berries and so-called botanicals (a varied assortment of herbs and spices). Genever is made primarily from "malt wine" (a mixture of malted barley, wheat, corn, and rye), which produces a fuller-bodied spirit similar to raw malt whisky. A small number of genevers in Holland and Belgium are distilled directly from fermented juniper berries, producing a particularly intensely flavored spirit.

The chief flavoring agent in Genever is the highly aromatic blue-green berry of the juniper, a low-slung evergreen bush (genus Juniperus) that is commercially grown in northern Italy, Croatia, the United States and Canada. Additional botanicals can include anise, angelica root, cinnamon, orange peel, coriander, and cassia bark. Genever makers have their own secret combination of botanicals, the number of which can range from as few as four to as many as 15.

Flavored Genever uses 100% natural botanicals for flavoring, but is bottled at lower ABV, typically 30-35% (60-70 proof), with the addition of sugar. These Genever highlight more sweet, spiced, and candied aromas such as vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, licorice, apricot, cherry, grapefruit, and orange.