Photo courtesy of Holland America Line
The premium cruise line cocktail competition has literally heated up as Holland America Line has partnered with 2015 James Beard Who's Who Inductee and Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff (pictured above) for specialty drinks aboard its entire fleet by spring 2016.
DeGroff's unique libations are set to debut on the Eurodam this month in the Gallery Bar, a new venue that was added to the ship during its December 2015 dry-dock refurbishment. They will also be featured in other bars and lounges such as the Ocean Bar, Explorer's Lounge, Crow's Nest, Tamarind Bar and even the Lido pool bar. Known as "King Cocktail," DeGroff will present a menu of classics cocktails as well as his signature creations and oversee the training of bar staff for quality control of his drinks onboard.
"For many guests, there's nothing better than relaxing with a well-made, unique cocktail after a long day of sightseeing or before dinner, and adding a master mixologist to our team gives us the diversity we seek in creating the most robust food and beverage program at sea," said Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line's president. "We're excited to welcome the talents of Dale DeGroff to our family, and we know our guests are going to enjoy his innovative creations."
The new menu will highlight drinks like the Gallery Gimlet, Hemingway Daiquiri, Yuzu Margarita, The Ritz Cocktail, Whiskey and Joe, Another Shade of Greyhound and "Slightly Less Than Perfect" Perfect Manhattan. The line further describes: "The Hemingway Daiquiri is a unique spin off of Hemingway's favorite drink, the Papa Doble. The Ritz Cocktail is a dazzling champagne cocktail presented with a burst of flamed orange peel and was one of the most popular drinks at the legendary Rainbow Room where DeGroff created it as a tribute to the Ritz cocktails of Paris and Madrid."
The new offerings are in line with Holland America's highly regarded cuisine from its esteemed Culinary Council of international chefs, and the drinks come from a similarly recognized mixologist, author of two best-selling cocktail books and founding president of The Museum of the American Cocktail.
This news comes well after Celebrity Cruises also announced its own drink partnership with Diageo Global Travel Americas in launching its World Class Bar as a replacement for its former Molecular Bar on the Celebrity Eclipse in May 2015. But the World Class Bar is expected to only expand to the line's remaining four Solstice-class ships and not fleet wide as Holland America Line plans.
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