We had the honour to have Phil Duff hold one of his last presentations as Global Brand Ambassador for Bols at the BCB 2008.

Never shy of anything (just like we know him) he did not only prepare a phenomenally expensive drink using a diamond-studded silver shaker worth 35.000€ but also let us take part in ways to become a millionaire just by owning a bar.

If you want to check on him and his suggestions you can do so rather soon, as he is to open a speakeasy-style bar in Amsterdam in the next few days.

You will find his presentation here.

Link: www.bols.com

Foto: Miguel Lopes

On the 29th und 30th of September Bols will present a unique diamond shaker at Bar Convent Berlin.

This handmade 35.000 Euro bar tool was created exclusively by Coster Diamonds, Amsterdam. The French company Établissements Bernard RDB designed a high class leather case for the shaker, that is made of pure silver and 18 carat gold, emblazed with 480 brilliants of 19,05 carat.

The Bols Diamond Shaker sort of illustrates, what Phil Duff's speech "Get rich & famous with Bols" on the September 29th at 12.30 pm will be about. ;)

Link: www.bols.com

"In passing the bar, I heard the usual interrogatory at the bar-keeper:

"Have you got any good gin, sir?"

"Yes, sir, Hollands."

"Well, mix me a cocktail - I want to wet up."

(J.E. Alexander, Transatlantic Sketches, 1833)

On the 3rd of September I attended the launch of what I consider the biggest innovation in the white spirits segment for years. To be precise it's rather a reinvention. It was the global launch of Bols Genever in Amsterdam. Why do I think this launch will have some impact on our industry?

Bols is the first brand stepping out there and communicating the 19th century, the first cocktail century as we know it, as it's products heritage. The brand is digging out the cocktail past to make bartenders and wholesalers stock the product. And this comes only months after Bols announced they would relaunch Galliano liqueur with the original recipe and a new abv level. Where the liqueur is definitely something to take notice of, a white spirit is the king of sales in our business. And Bols Genever is definitely aiming for the speed rail!

Over the last couple of years it's been mainly Philip Duff, the former Bols brand ambasador, who's been preaching the story of the cocktail genever. We at Mixology had a couple of articles on this topic last year in our German print Issue 3/2007. It was Dave Wondrich who has dug out the verification for Genever actually being on of four original base spirits in the first professional American cockail bars. When he was doing research for his highly acclaimed book Imbibe! he discovered that the amount of Dutch genever imported to America was six times higher than the amount of gin shipped over from Britain. This leads to the conclusion that where ever you find the word "gin" in the first cocktail books (Jerry Thomas Bartender's Guide etc.) you have to read "genever". And there's many more quotes and traces like the one above from the Transatlantic Sketches, that indicate Hollands or genever was actually the white spirit of choice in the first American cocktail century.

Whenever though Phil Duff or Dutch bartenders served me genever cocktails over the last couple of years, I always found the flavour too strong and overpowering, to make this a proper base spirit. Genever has that distinct fruitiness that sets it apart from British gin. The Bols lab has obviously realized this and worked on a new more palatable cocktail spirit.

We got notice today that one of the most experienced bartenders worldwide will return to the free world of the bar business. Philip Duff has been working as Global Brand Ambassador for the Dutch liquor house Bols for almost a decade.

Phil received numerous awards and nominations from, among others, the Tales of the Cocktail World Spirit Awards (Best Brand Ambassador, 2008), Universidad del Cocktail Argentina (Contributions to bartending, 2005) and the Flair Bartenders Association (multiple awards, 2002-2006). His latest project at Bols was the Bols Bartending Academy that he helped setting up.

The congenial Irishman is Bols’ global brand ambassador and head bartender. He opened up and directs the Bols Bartending Academy in Amsterdam and is a fervent admirer of Dutch genever.

Furthermore he has his own consultancy, Liquid Solutions, and in his different functions travels the world to train, teach and drink.

Why are you coming to the Bar Convent Berlin and what is your presentation "Rich and Famous with Bols" going to be about?

I’m coming to BCB, because Germany now occupies the place in global mixology I thought it deserved, when I started coming very regularly to Germany three years ago. I recognised driven, passionate professionals and the world’s best classic cocktail bars then already, and it’s only gotten better since.

BCB is the crowning glory of that, and I get to visit the host I respect more than any other, Mr. Scholl in Rum Trader.

Rich & Famous is a fun title, but it’s essentially about how to make money for yourself by serving great drinks for which you can maintain the quality even when it’s SRO and packed to the ceiling, drinks that will be reordered by guests who return to the bar and who recommend the bar and its drinks to their friends.

This alone will make you famous, and working quickly and efficiently behind a well-set-up well-spec’d bar in a team of professionals that are (very important this) managed by a manager who’s a professional manager will make all concerned, well, not rich perhaps, but certainly richer than they would otherwise be.