Bar review: Jigger’s, Brussels

Olivier Jacobs opened Jigger’s in 2012, in partnership with his girlfriend Zaza, and it has gone on to win various awards for the cocktail-making talents of its bar staff.

Well known as the first modern cocktail bar in Belgium, it launched onto a scene that “at the time didn t really have much of a cocktail culture, and the bars serving them weren t putting in the effort we do today,”Olivier tells us. Being a speakeasy style cocktail bar, generally only those who have heard about Jigger s venture through its doors. Originally popular among locals, the bar has become an essential drinking hole among the city s booming number of tourists.

By ringing a bell, you can order your drink from a list that includes cocktails made using home-brewed kombucha, tinctures, liqueurs and syrups. They even recently produced their own apple aquavit in partnership with a local distillery, which is a must-try.

GANZERIK, BRUSSELS

Opened with his friend Benjamin after Jigger’s became so popular that it was turning people away at the weekends, this is a more neighbourhood-style bar. Thanks to the rents rising quickly as the city becomes more and more touristic, many people are moving to the outskirts.

Located in Rooigem – an up-and-coming, densely populated area – the bar has become a popular haunt among locals. Olivier explains that “our aim was to offer something more suited to after work drinking than a cocktail.”

With a focus on great beers, the menu is complemented by reimagined Belgian gastronomic classics such as black pudding, chicken skin chips and a typical Ghent chicken soup.

Regulars include The Ghent Beer Society, who stop by to drink from some of Ganzerik’s selection of ever-changing local Belgian beers, from the likes of Der Anke, which is famous for brewing with fresh hops. Aside from a great line-up of beers, they serve homemade organic lemonades and ice teas.

Olivier’s plans for the future include opening a third bar, in partnership with the bartenders from Jigger s, focusing on both beer and cocktails, based in one of the hip neighbourhoods of Ghent.