We Have No Sympathy for These Devils

We received the following note and photo from Mariner Bruce Plewman over the Thanksgiving holiday:

Roland,

As per your request for the blog, here is a photo of the our crew downing the Sympathy with the Devil cocktail.

On Sunday we had the first of probably several pre-cruise planning parties. We served up the Holland America specialty drink, Sympathy with the Devil. As you can see from the attached photo, the drink was a big hit!

We all had a good time planning lodging, transportation and the early discussions of shore excursions. Even though the we are scheduled to sail on the Eurodam on March 28, the general feeling is “Let’s go tomorrow!” We are looking forward to sailing on the newest of the DAM ships amidst all of its splendor.

Bruce and Crew

Here’s the cocktail recipe:

1/2 oz vodka, gin, rum, tequila
1/2 oz Tia Maria, Grand Marnier
Cranberry juice
House sweet & sour mix

Serve in a pint glass with no garnish.

If you like, you can top it with beer.

Meet the Officers Bar Barman

Kees at his post behind the bar in Bonney O’Malley’s.

While you would fully expect the public bars aboard Eurodam to be staffed with talented bar keepers, we sometimes forget that there are crew venues behind the scenes that require staffing as well, like the Officers Bar. Meet Joko “Kees” Budiono, the OB barman. We met Kees during our visit to the ship, and we just learned from Hotel Manager Stan Kuppens that he’s been named Eurodam’s November employee of the month!

Kees started with Holland America Line in 2006 working in the crew mess aboard Volendam. On his second contract, he went to Statendam and became the OB barman. Currently, Kees is in the middle of his third contract with HAL.

According to Stan, Kees’ favorite part about working as the OB barman is being able to talk with the crew, and his favorite drink to make is a margarita. He thinks it is important to work hard and learn everyday; there is no limit to learning. Kees was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he lives today.

Welcome to Tamarind

Eurodam’s pan-Asian reservations-only restaurant is proving to be very popular with guests. Here are several photos and a short video that show off some of the reasons for the dining venue’s popularity.

Sushi is prepared fresh for Tamarind diners.

Eurodam’s Officers Enjoy Authentic Irish Pub

Courtesy of Captain Mercer, we recently got a behind-the-scenes tour of a space that few guests will ever see — the officers bar. But this is no ordinary officers bar, it’s an authentic-looking Irish Pub installed, appropriately enough, by a company named Ol Irish Pub.

Dubbed Bonney O’Malley’s, the pub sports brick walls, wood floors, leather chairs and couches, a television and, of course, a dart board.

The pub was shipped to the Fincantieri shipyard in pieces and was assembled over 10 days as the ship made its way from Venice to Southampton to Rotterdam. We are told that by the time the ship reached Rotterdam, the beer and good times were flowing steadily at Bonney O’Malley’s.

Here are a couple of videos we snagged on our brief tour.

Training the Next Generation of Chefs

Party Planner Michelle Walton teaches young cruisers how to make pizza in a kids’ cooking demonstration at the Culinary Arts Center aboard Eurodam.

The kids — ages 8 to 12 — made personalized English muffin and focaccia bread pizzas. Approximately 60 children sailed on the Oct. 25 Caribbean cruise.

Event staffer Karyn Campbell (right) gets the pizzas ready to pop in the oven.

A Cocktail Mystery Is Solved

Hi,

I am not sure how to explain myself but I do not know where I might get the information I require and while looking at the Eurodam blog I noticed your e-mail address and thought of trying my luck in solving my quandary with your assistance.

I was with my family on board the Eurodam during its inaugural trans-Atlantic crossing and while on board we used to spend quite some time at the Sports Bar sampling various cocktails. We used to talk a lot with the barmen but at no time did we exchange names so I do not know who to ask regarding a cocktail I took a liking to.

It is not listed in the cocktail book as it was one of the barman’s concoctions (we used to just let him mix any type of drink he felt like and we would express our opinion about it, obviously after emptying the glass). What I know is that he said it was called “Sympathy with the Devil.” I tried looking it up but could not find it anywhere.

My request if possible is to obtain the ingredients of mentioned cocktail and if you are not able to obtain this information for me could you be kind enough to refer me to someone who might be able to get me the ingredients.

Regards,

Paul

Well, Paul, we were able to track down the recipe for the cocktail. And after reading the ingredients, we understand why you couldn’t remember the details. Beverage Manager Murat sent us the following:

It is a concoction from Bartender Rommer, who was on duty in the Sports Bar during the crossing. Please see below recipe for this cocktail:

Sympathy with the Devil
1/2 oz vodka, gin, rum, tequila
1/2 oz Tia Maria, Grand Marnier
Cranberry juice
House sweet & sour mix

If you like, you can top it with beer.

Eurodam’s Fun Food Facts

With approximately 2,104 guests on board each sailing, a lot of food and beverages are consumed. Here’s a selection of items, including everything from eggs to beer, that tickle the palates of Eurodam guests every week. When you actually see the numbers, it truly is amazing that there’s even enough space on board to store the consumables!

Average weekly consumption of food on board:

Meat and meat products: 11,830 pounds
Poultry: 3,814 pounds
Fish: 1,875 pounds
Seafood: 2,575 pounds
Fresh vegetables: 137,500 pounds
Potatoes: 7,750 pounds
Watermelon: 2,300 pounds
Dairy: 5,500 quarts
Ice cream: 300 gallons
Butter and margarine: 1,675 pounds
Eggs: 23,040
Sugar: 950 pounds
Flour: 3,150 pounds
Rice for crew: 3,500 pounds
Assorted sodas: 362 cases
Assorted beers: 332 cases
Champagne and sparkling wines: 450 bottles
Assorted wines: 1,636 bottles
Water: 280 cases

Formal Night in Canaletto

Guests enjoy the Canaletto Restaurant on a formal night.

From left: James Dunn, Denis Connors, Bill Sheerin, Maureen Sheerin, Gail Connors and Lucille Dunn.

From left: Bill Sawyer, Carol Sawyer, Rhoda Biasi and George Biasi.

Meet the Bakeshop Team

The delicious breads and rolls are always very popular at mealtime. The crew in the bakeshop work tirelessly to ensure there’s a variety of breads and other goodies served at every meal.

A Slice of Heaven

Slice is the popular pizzeria aboard Eurodam where guests can get a fresh-out-of-the-oven piece of pizza.

Pizza Maker Leonilo Granada whips up the tasty pies from scratch and bakes them in a pizza oven.

Slice is located by the Lido pool, making it easy to grab a quick slice of pizza while relaxing on deck.