A luxury cruise is no place for mediocre martinis, Mai Tais and margaritas. To boost its bar program, Holland America has partnered with 2015 James Beard Who's Who Inductee and Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff to reinvent their cocktail menu. DeGroff's original recipes and finessed takes on the classics will debut aboard ms Eurodam this month and will expand fleet-wide to all 13 Holland America passenger ships by spring 2016.
There’s nobody better behind the bar than DeGroff (a.k.a. King Cocktail), a 30-year veteran of New York’s Rainbow Room, founding president of The Museum of the American Cocktail. He’s also the bestselling author of two cocktail books: The Essential Cocktail and The Craft of the Cocktail, and produces the Dale DeGroff's Aromatic Bitters brand, developed with absinthe distiller Ted Breaux.
DeGroff trained Holland America’s onboard staff on how to make his new signature cocktails, which will first be served in the Gallery Bar following a December 2015 dry-dock refresh. You’ll also be able to buy a round in the Ocean Bar, Explorer's Lounge, Crow's Nest, Tamarind Bar, and Lido pool bar. So what’s your pleasure? DeGroff's Gallery Gimlet, Another Shade of Greyhound, or a Yuzu Margarita? There’s also The Hemingway Daiquiri, a unique spin off of Hemingway's favorite drink, the Papa Doble. And for special occasions (like Wednesday) how about a Ritz Cocktail made with Champagne presented dramatically with a flamed orange peel?
"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. This year Holland America Line will sail more than 500 cruises to more than 400 ports in 98 countries, providing plenty of time for guests to sample DeGroff’s drinks.
