Impressing luxury clientele isn’t easy. Catering to this crowd means finding new ways to provide unique experiences.
That’s why the high-end cruise line Seabourn in March announced a partnership with renowned mixologist Brian Van Flandern (pictured atop) to elevate the cocktail programs on all of its ships.
Seabourn has always run a top-notch beverage program ever since the company began operations in 1986. But it was time for an upgrade: The modern craft cocktail boom has both expanded guests’ palates and raised their expectations.
Why Van Flandern? Named “America’s Top Mixologist” in 2011 by The Food Network, Van Flandern served as head mixologist for chef Thomas Keller’s Per Se Restaurant in New York from 2004 to 2007. (Keller has recently partnered with Seabourn as well, with restaurants aboard each ship.)
Certified as a Spirits Professional with the U.S. Bartenders Guild, Van Flandern has authored three cocktail books. He recently redesigned and opened a new bar in the Palm Court in New York’s Plaza Hotel.
“Brian was the perfect fit,” explains Chris Prelog, vice president of hotel operations at Seabourn Cruise Line, “because he has an authentic approach to craft cocktails that’s really unique.”
Van Flandern founded Creative Cocktail Consultants, an extensive bartender-training program, in 2008. The company designs corporate craft cocktail programs and educates bartenders in top hotels, restaurants and resorts in more than 40 countries throughout the world.
The background in teaching mixology was key for Seabourn. The cruise line didn’t want Van Flandern simply to update the beverage program; it charged him with raising the abilities and knowledge of the entire bartending staff.
Beefing Up Bars Onboard
Seattle-based Seabourn, part of Carnival Corp., currently operates three ships: Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Quest. It’s adding a fourth, Seabourn Encore, later this year.
There are three bars onboard: The Club, The Observation and The Patio; guests can also order drinks at The Grill by Thomas Keller. Each bar has its own theme and menu, though if customers discover a cocktail they love at one bar, they can order it at any of the others.
The Patio at the pool deck is a Tiki lounge that includes tropical staples, like the Mai Tai, made with Bacardi light rum, fresh lime juice, Cointreau, simple syrup, orgeat syrup and mint sprig; or the Pina Colada, with Zacapa 23 rum, Bacardi light rum, fresh shredded coconut, fresh pineapple juice, cane sugar simple syrup and vanilla syrup.
The Club lounge serves classic cocktails made famous by celebrities. There’s the Cosmopolitan, as enjoyed by Sarah Jessica Parker’s character on Sex in the City. Seabourn makes it with Ketel One Citron vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, sugar syrup and cranberry juice.
Also on The Club menu is the Orwellian Negroni, named not for the author George Orwell but as a reference to Orsen Wells, who popularized the cocktail in the U.S. in 1949. Seabourn’s version uses Tanqueray Ten gin, Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth and Campari.
The Observation lounge aims to introduce modern, innovative cocktails that are new to the majority of the cruise line’s guests. Van Flandern encourages Observation lounge guests “to explore the menu and experiment with spirits you have traditionally sworn off.”
His offerings here include the Smokin Margarita, made with Herradura Blanco tequila, Del Maguey Tobola mezcal, fresh lime juice, agave nectar and egg white; the Upper East Side, with Bombay Sapphire gin, yellow chartreuse, fresh lemon juice, demerara sugar syrup, fresh tarragon and absinthe rinse; and the Mango Picante, with Martell Cordon Bleu Cognac, Boiron Mango puree, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, freshly muddled cilantro and a chipotle chili powder/sugar rim.
The new Encore ship is outfitted with a spa area complete with bungalows where guests can enjoy their own private bars. Van Flandern said the guests at these bars will be the first to try his newest cocktail creations.
Seaworthy Sips
The cocktail menus also include the classics that guests have come to expect in restaurants and on cruises, such as Manhattans, Margaritas, Piña Coladas and Mojitos. These menus include just 8 to 10 drinks so that guests do not “glaze over” from the sheer variety that can weigh down some drinks lists, Van Flandern explains.
Working with chef Keller at Michelin Three-Star Per Se changed the way that Van Flandern viewed drink conception. Van Flandern says he began to think about cocktails with Keller’s “flavor-profiling” philosophy, which emphasizes recognizing and balancing the basic tastes and sensory experiences of ingredients. He then passed down this technique to the Seabourn bartenders. “We’re teaching staff to taste cocktails to order,” Van Flandern explains. “We’re having them ask themselves, ‘Is it too tart? Too sweet? Does it have enough alcohol?’ From there they can adjust. Because it’s impossible to make cocktails the same way throughout the whole cruise.”
Starting with fresh, quality ingredients is also critical, he notes. But you can craft cocktails with almost any combination of ingredients, as long as there is a balance of sugars, acids and alcohol.
For example, Van Flandern points to the Upper East Side cocktail from The Observation lounge. The cocktail is not too tart (acidic), he says, not too sweet (sugar) and not too strong or weak (alcohol). The gin and chartreuse share many of the same botanicals, and the tarragon accents the herbaceous flavor profile inherent in the drink.
The tarragon has a mild hint of anise that is enhanced by the absinthe rinse, which provides more aromatics than flavor. The Demerara and lemon juice balance each other; the gin is made with lemon peels as well.
“Every ingredient either complements or deliberately contrasts every other ingredient, and all contribute to some aspect of balance,” Van Flandern says.
Teaching flavor profiling to Seabourn staff is especially beneficial because the cruise line can secure a variety of fresh, local ingredients during the journey, Van Flandern notes. “We’re teaching bartenders how to innovate cocktails using local produce and spirits.”
Intensive Training
Each Seabourn ship employs six to 10 bartenders, with two or three circulating between venues. Van Flandern initially spent 10 days with Seabourn’s bartenders, teaching them for four hours a day. He then followed up at a later date with a week-long course that reiterated core messages.
This training involves a comprehensive spirits education—including an overview of all spirits on the back bar, methods of distillation, area of origination and so on—plus garnish theory, bar tools review, mixology training, flavor profiling, social responsibility and a study of Michelin Three Star-beverage and dining standards.
Once they complete the program, Van Flandern says, “we’re certifying these bartenders as mixologists.” The training program also allowed Van Flandern and Seabourn to identify staff standouts and elevate their rank. Each cruise ship now lists one head bartender who oversees the cocktail program; he or she can also contact Van Flandern while out at sea should any questions arise.
Van Flandern has succeeded as a teacher, Prelog believes, because he brings an “amazing amount of knowledge and passion to the table, and that has really resonated with the staff.”
It’s also an investment in the careers of the bar staff. Van Flandern thinks that the mixology movement is helping bartenders see beyond their jobs as just a way to pay bills, and rather feel secure that they can spend the rest of their lives in this service.
“My clients have very low attrition among staff, because I help these bartenders take a personal and professional pride in their careers,” he says.
Ultra-premium Options
Seabourn is an all-inclusive cruise model in that everything is included with the initial cost, including alcoholic beverages. The complimentary spirits include well-known premium brands like Ketel One and Don Julio tequila, Van Flandern says, as well as lesser-known craft spirits.
To keep up with the interest in mixology and rare bottles, Seabourn has amassed a collection of ultra-premium spirits that will be available to guests for an additional charge. These include the stuff of a collectors’ dreams: Pappy Van Winkle, Remy Martin Louis XIII Cognac and other pricey, much-sought-after selections.
A standard 1 ¾-oz. pour of the Louis XIII will cost $198. Customers can also opt to enjoy an ultra-premium spirits in a drink; Van Flandern has a special cocktail menu of luxurious concoctions.
For example, the Louis XIII Sidecar ($150) is made with the Louis XIII Cognac, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, demerara and sugar syrup. The Blue Blood and Sand ($35) is with Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Cherry Heering liqueur, Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, sugar syrup and fresh blood-orange juice, while the Very Last Word ($20) mixes Plymouth gin, V.E.P. yellow chartreuse, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, sugar syrup, fresh lime and cherry juices and saffron.
While some discerning drinkers may believe that using ultra-premium liquors in a cocktail is a faux pas, Van Flandern notes in a message on the menu that “in the last decade mixologists are using quality fresh ingredients and balancing the flavors like a chef composing flavors on a plate.” The special menu honors these spirits “by showcasing their flavors in drinks that only a select few get to enjoy.”
But Van Flandern says the program is not designed to be a money-maker for Seabourn. “Our objective with the ultra-premium bottles is not to make a profit, but just to offset the cost if a customer wants them.”
By updating the cocktail program through the partnership with Van Flandern, Seabourn hopes to tempt more guests into branching out beyond their alcohol comfort zone.
“Maybe they don’t order their typical glass of wine, but try a cocktail,” Prelog explains. “More guests will be experimenting if they have the option to try out something unique.”
Foraging in Port
Seabourn ships stop at an array of ports ranging from Peru to Barcelona, Hong Kong to Dubai, Halifax to Bora Bora. When a ship is anchored in port, staffers can travel ashore and purchase local ingredients and wine for the food and beverage programs.
Part of the ship’s programming already allows guests to follow chefs into port as kitchen staff shop for regional fare, says Prelog. He foresees a similar experience for guests who want to accompany the head bartender into local markets in search of fresh cocktail ingredients and unique spirits.
For instance, when anchored in Brazil, head bartenders might head ashore to look for cachaça, fresh tropical fruits such as guava and mango, sugarcane and spices. Even local exotic wood could be used to infuse spirits with flavor.
“This allows the bartender to create a truly unique item,” Prelog says. And when the participating guests can later enjoy a cocktail made with ingredients they watched the bartender procure earlier that day, “it allows us to elevate the experience of the destination.”—KS
A Deep Dive Into Exceeding Expectations
Luxury cruise line Seabourn and craft mixologist Brian Van Flandern share the business philosophy that the guest is always right.
“In Michelin Three-Star restaurants, the customer experience trumps everything—including your ego,” Van Flandern explains. “So I was excited when I got onboard with Seabourn, because they have adopted that philosophy from the very beginning.”
The luxury line will accommodate any guest requests within the realm of possibility, he adds. And Seabourn often exceeds customer expectations.
Van Flandern relayed one story of a Seabourn guest who dropped a pouch containing her wedding ring when she was exiting the ship at port; it fell over the gangplank and into the water. The guest was distraught over loss, but she figured the ring was gone forever and continued on with the excursion into the port city.
Meanwhile, the captain called in local divers, who explored the murky waters under the ship and after some time were able to retrieve the pouch. When the guest and her husband returned from their excursion, the captain invited them to the deck.
The couple expected to be offered condolences. Instead, with a Champagne toast, the captain personally returned their lost wedding ring. Seabourn’s service standards “are impeccable and unsurpassed, without a doubt,” Van Flandern says.
Kyle Swartz is associate editor of Cheers Magazine. Reach him at kswartz@epgacceleration.com
