Gin has been an anchor in Holland America Line’s history dating back to the company’s inception, and to celebrate that 150-year tradition the cruise line is debuting a new exclusive label of the spirit on board. Affectionately named De Lijn in a nod to Holland America Line’s roots, the bottle is adorned with a label boasting the name in Dutch orange, accented with line drawings of brilliant blue juniper berries in a style the cruise line has coined as Modern Delft, an homage to iconic blue and white of Dutch Delftware.
De Lijn Gin is made with a blend of Dutch inspired botanicals, including orange and rose, along with elderberry, lemon verbena, lemon, raspberry and juniper. Each botanical is cold distilled separately for distinct and consistent flavours. The result is a premium gin, made in America, inspired by the Netherlands, and specially crafted for Holland America Line.
“Gin often carries characteristics of its geography, and we wanted to produce a blend that not only captured our Dutch heritage, but also used botanicals in a modern way to make it unique to our brand,” said Anthony Stice, vice president of dining and beverage operations for Holland America Line. “We call it a ‘Nieuw’ Western Gin, our take on the fast-growing New Western Dry Gin category; we selected a bright and floral profile, finishing it slightly over-proofed, making it ideal for mixing cocktails. This is Holland America Line’s first produced spirit, and we’re excited to see our guests’ reaction.”
To celebrate the introduction of De Lijn, Holland America Line will feature the spirit in three new 150th Anniversary cocktails:
· “Dutch 150” A twist on a French 75 with De Lijn Gin, lemon juice and sparkling wine.
· “150th Martini” Classic Martini with De Lijn Gin and Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth.
· “De Lijn Gin and Tonic” is an exclusive drink prepared tableside in the Pinnacle Grill specialty restaurant. In addition to De Lijn Gin and Fever Tree Premium Indian Tonic, the cocktail blends an assortment of seasonal botanicals such as juniper berries, peppercorns, verbena, star anise, mint and expressed citrus.
De Lijn will be available in all bars and lounges fleet-wide as a gin of choice or in one of the special cocktails starting in November 2022. Bottles also will be available for purchase in the shipboard shops.
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