Holland America Takes Cocktails Around the World
Maple Martini on Holland America photo credit Lisa Mowry
Step on board a Holland America Line cruise ship these days, and you’ll find more than sunsets and tempting buffets on the water; this 150-year-old cruise line has a robust cocktail program that taps into local culture. My recent sailing on the venerable company’s “Canada to New England” voyage introduced me to a maple martini and caribou cocktail—for starters—but those are just two of the dozens of drinks that pay homage to areas all over the planet.
Local Themed Cocktails
Sam Ross Cocktails photo courtesy Holland America Line
Cruises have always been a way to discover other parts of the world. Thoughtful excursions and themed dinners that incorporate local cuisines are part of a traveler’s experience, but more than ever they’ll have the opportunity to try a locally themed cocktail or beer. Holland America Line’s (HAL) global program even includes some celebrity mixologists who’ve come up with their takes. Sam Ross and Tess Posthumus are two of the latest award-winning bartenders and bar owners to lend their talents to the cruise line in Alaska and Europe.
“Sam and Tess bring an exciting dimension to our beverage offerings, adding a new element in the cocktail space to sailings in two of our most popular regions,” said Drew Foulk, Holland America Line’s senior manager of beverage operation and dining innovation. “We take pride in taking our guests on a simultaneous journey of taste and discovery."
Canada/New England
Caribou Cocktail photo credit Lisa Mowry
My cruise on HAL’s ship Zuiderdam took us from French-centric Quebec City to Nova Scotia—with stops on Prince Edward Island, Sydney, and Halifax—before docking in Portland, Maine and Boston. Views of the St. Lawrence River, Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Atlantic Ocean itself were scenic backdrops to regional cocktails that embraced a Canadian point of view.
The star ingredient in many Canadian beverages is maple syrup, standing in for simple syrup or other methods of sweetening things up. “Canadians like things sweeter,” confirmed HAL head bartender Jeffrey Tudla, while holding court in the Gallery Bar with his mixologist Felipe.
My first tasting was a Caribou Cocktail, made with one-ounce Canadian Club Rye Whiskey, a spoonful of maple syrup, and two ounces of Sandeman Porto Fine Ruby. Similar to the cruise line’s Maple Old-fashioned (two ounces Angels Envy bourbon, four dashes of orange bitters, a dash of water, and .25 ounce of syrup), the syrup wasn’t too much. In fact, this smooth touch of sweet felt organic and just right.
The maple martini also incorporated local syrup, mixing vodka and vermouth with a touch of maple syrup and garnished with a frozen grape.
Bloody Caesar photo credit Lisa Mowry
For a more savory drink, guests may choose a Caesar (or known on the HAL menu as a Bloody Caesar), the Canadian version of a Bloody Mary. Alongside vodka and Tabasco sauce, Clamato juice is a must to mix in Canada’s national beverage. The original Clamato beverage is tomato-based cocktail with clam juice mixed in, making it popular to use in food—think gazpacho and ceviche—as well as the Caesar.
Alaska
Bartender Sam Ross photo courtesy Holland America Line
On the other side of North America, visitors flock to the glaciers and wildlife of Alaska, one of HAL’s most popular cruise destinations. To highlight the area, celebrity bartender Sam Ross has stepped in to put his twist on the Last Frontier. Ross’s New York City bar has been named “best bar in North America” by Vogue Magazine and other press. His specialty: reinterpreting the classics.
The bar owner’s most well-known cocktail—the Penicillin, originally conceived at Milk & Honey Bar—has been reinterpreted for HAL and its rugged Alaska setting. The PNW Penicillin combines Westland Flagship Single Malt, fresh lemon, ginger and honey and a float of Westland Peated Single Barrel Select (exclusive to Holland America Line.) Ross also came up with the Juneau, AK that features Juneauper Gin, Fino sherry, Yellow Chartreuse, and orange bitters.
Other Ross cocktails on the Alaska cruise span a spectrum of playful to elegant. His Mosquito combines Del Maguey Vida mezcal, Campari, fresh lemon, and ginger. The Midnight Sun starts with Hennessy VS as a base, joined by Fernet Branca and crème de Menthe. Rumor has it that HAL Alaska cruises might include real glacier chunks in beverages as a clever touch.
Europe
Dutch Courage cocktails photo courtesy Holland America Line
In Amsterdam—where people know a thing or two about alcohol—the bars owned by Tess Posthumus are a must-visit. Her establishments Flying Dutchmen Cocktails, Dutch Courage, and Belly of the Beast promote the Netherlands as a cocktail destination and grew from her studies at University of Amsterdam.
When asked by HAL to promote beverages for the European sailings, Posthumus rose to the occasion. Her Dutch Courage Martini begins with olive oil fat-washed De Lijn Gin, mixed with dry vermouth and St-Germain. The Copenhagen Dram mixed Johnnie Walker Black, Carpano Antica Vermouth, Aquavit, and Benedictine. She also came up with a Rotterdam Runner: Raisin-infused Mount Gay Eclipse Rum, fresh lemon, Galliano, vanilla, and egg white. Playing off the Dutch love for orange, Posthumus devised Orange Elixir: Patron Reposado, lemon juice, spiced orange syrup, Campari and Double Dutch Orange Tonic.
Latin America
Ships cruising into Mexico and the rest of Latin America will have the skills of award-winning bartender Ivy Mix, the author of Spirits of Latin America and a former winner of American bartender of the year. Her Puerto Vallarta cocktail, for instance, includes Blanco tequila, Aperol, lime, mango, and habanero for a happy-hour favorite.
Meanwhile, James Beard award-winning drinks historian David Wondrich recently created five new rum cocktails for HAL as part of their Rum Ambassador program on all Caribbean sailings.