To continue its 150th anniversary celebration, Holland America Line has introduced a new exclusive label gin on board its ships.
Named “De Lijn” (the line) in a nod to the Holland America’s roots, the bottle is adorned with a label boasting the name in Dutch orange, accented with line drawings of blue juniper berries in a style the line has coined as Modern Delft, an homage to the 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 flavors. The result is a premium American-made, Netherlands-inspired gin 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.”
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To celebrate the introduction of De Lijn, Holland America is featuring the gin 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 Pratt Dry Vermouth
- De Lijn Gin and Tonic — an exclusive drink prepared tableside in the Pinnacle Grill. In addition to De Lijn Gin and Fever Tree Premium Indian Tonic, the cocktail blends seasonal botanicals such as juniper berries, peppercorns, verbena, star anise, mint, and expressed citrus
De Lijn will be available in all bars and lounges fleetwide as a gin of choice or in one of the above cocktails starting November 2022. Bottles will also be available for purchase in the onboard shops.
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