Fabulous February at Dutch Courage: A Month ofFlavour, Curiosity and Craft
Dutch Courage Cocktailbar - Knowledge Series
February is often an unassuming month.
For some it marks the end of Dry January, for others Valentine’s Day is the sole highlight. At Dutch Courage Cocktailbar, however, February has quietly grown into something else entirely.
A month where experimentation, events and flavour-driven hospitality come together. This article serves both as a guide and a record of what makes Fabulous February exactly that.
A Month in Motion
February at Dutch Courage is rarely about one thing.
It is about momentum.
Extended opening hours invite guests in earlier in the day — for coffee, conversation, or a cocktail served in a coffee cup. Behind the scenes, the team balances product development, tastings, collaborations and events, often overlapping in the most rewarding ways.
Field Trip: Spirited Union
This month includes a visit to Spirited Union, a distillery known for its unconventional approach to botanical rum. Unlike traditional rum producers, their focus lies firmly on botanical expression layered onto a rum base.
The visit is part research, part inspiration an ongoing commitment to understanding how modern distilling choices shape flavour and identity.
Peruvian Courage
February 7th marks Pisco Sour Day, and with it a brief spotlight on Peruvian cocktail culture.
Alongside a classic Pisco Sour, Dutch Courage explores a fig leaf variation on another Peruvian staple: the Chilcano. Both drinks celebrate freshness, acidity and restrained aromatics qualities that align naturally with the house style.
Book Club, But Make It Cocktails
Inspired by Barbary Coast in Singapore, Dutch Courage introduces a new recurring concept:
Cocktail Book Club.
The idea is simple:
• Choose a historic cocktail book
• Read it
• Select forgotten recipes
• Reinterpret them for one dedicated evening
The first edition takes place on Sunday the 15th, featuring Oxford Night Caps (1864), one of the earliest cocktail books in existence.
Farm to Glass: Aureau Apple Aperitif
February also introduces a new product to the Dutch market: Aureau.
Made from local Elstar apples and fortified with a barrel-aged distillate of those same apples, Aureau represents true farm-to-glass craftsmanship. Low in alcohol, complex yet approachable, it forms the base of three original creations developed by the Dutch Courage team available throughout the month.
Rum, In Very Different Forms
February leans heavily into rum — but never in one-dimensional fashion.
On February 18th, Dutch Courage hosts a Cachaça guest shift and tasting by Frau Cachaça from Austria, one of Europe’s leading voices on the Brazilian spirit. Less than a week later, on February 24th, the bar becomes the stage for the Dutch final of the El Dorado Rum Heritage Cocktail Competition, welcoming competitors from across the country and celebrating Guyanese rum culture deep into the night.
A Month About Connection
From cupcakes shared on Valentine’s Day no boundaries, no distinctions to the launch of a new mailing list focused on deeper enjoyment and education, Fabulous February is ultimately about connection.
Between people, products, ideas and flavour.
As always, something special is happening somewhere at Dutch Courage. And if you miss it this time there will be another reason to return soon enough.
Zeedijk 12, Amsterdam.
Proost.
FAQ — FABULOUS FEBRUARY AT DUTCH COURAGE
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Fabulous February is a month-long program of specials, events and extended opening hours at Dutch Courage Cocktailbar.
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February allows room for experimentation, collaborations and events outside peak season pressure.
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Spirited Union is a distillery focused on botanical rum, using unconventional production methods.
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Pisco Sour Day is celebrated on February 7th and honours Peru’s national cocktail.
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A recurring event where historic cocktail books are explored and forgotten recipes are brought back to life.
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ItAureau is a low-ABV apple aperitif made from local Elstar apples and barrel-aged apple distillate.
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February features a Cachaça guest shift and the Dutch final of the El Dorado Rum Heritage Cocktail Competition.
