And the best cruise bartender of 2015 winner is ...
If you’re picky about the cocktails you sip on your next cruise, you may want to sail with Gerome Firmalo.
He’s the bartender with Holland America Line who won the 2015 Cruise Competition Bartender of the Year.
His winning cocktail selected from 2,500 entries: Passion Blossom 13. It’s a blend of Bombay Sapphire gin, St. Germain liqueur, passion fruit syrup, lemon sour and cranberry juice. Spirits maker Bacardi held the final competition at its offices in Coral Gables, Fla., according to a statement.
You can try a Passion Blossom 13 onboard the MS Oosterdam, where Firmalo is the resident bartender.
Bacardi started the competition in 2015 to help cruise lines develop a fresh generation of mixologists, according to a statement.
Finalists participated in three days of mixing it up (drinks that is) and touring Miami’s South Beach bars to hone their skills, sit in on educational workshops and watch the pros at work.
Other finalists included Kenneth Tuason from Holland America’s MS Maasdam, Richard Anderson from Carnival Glory, Nilesh Patel from Carnival Sensation and Royal Caribbean‘s Oleksandr Lurchenko.
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