|
 In Amsterdam's House of Bols you can sample the vintage alcoholic brand in super chic surroundings, with a range of cocktails at your fingertips. Words by Paul Oswell
My olfactory abilities are obviously suspect. Faced with a rack of 50 perfume bottles, I'm having trouble distinguishing my kiwi fruit from my lychee. Sadly, it seems I'll never be a candidate for a master Bols distiller.
The bottles are one of the many exhibits at the House of Bols in Amsterdam, a new museum that celebrates an internationally famous Dutch invention. There are no shelves of dusty vintages here, though; it's a sleek, neon-decked building that in part resembles a futuristic nightclub and which has already won a slew of design awards.
Opened in spring 2007, the House of Bols is one of the more playful attractions in Amsterdam's museum district. It celebrates Bols - the oldest distillery brand in the world, having been around since 1575 - with a diverse series of interactive exhibits designed to stimulate sensory excitement.
You can sniff, touch and even dance your way through the brand's history, manufacturing process and cultural influences, all culminating in the Hall of Taste, where a computer calculates your perfect Bols cocktail from the myriad possibilities.
You then take your printout to the chic Bols bar, where barmen acrobatically fix your elixir, bottles a-blur as ingredients are pulled from shelves and everything from a Gin Rickey (weak, very sour) to an Absinthe Without Leave (strong, very sweet) are whipped up before your eyes.
If you fancy trying your hand at flashy cocktail making - sorry, "flair bartending" - then the House also runs its own bartending academy, with certified courses across 10 levels, from bottle-dropping beginners to spirit-spinning experts.
Armed with your new-found knowledge, why not tour Amsterdam's little-known Jenever (gin) bars, where the Bols spirit is evident in more ways than one? Spend an evening at the Wynand Fockink (Pijlsteeg 31, +31 (0)20 639 2695, www.wynand-fockink.nl) for the ultimate in Bols field research.
House of Bols, Paulus Potterstraat 14, Amsterdam, www.houseofbols.com
Mój węch pozostawia wiele do życzenia. Mając przed sobą półkę z około 50 butelkami zapachów, mam problem z rozróżnieniem zapachu kiwi od lychee. Niestety, nigdy chyba nie zostanę kandydatem na mistrza destylacji Bolsa.
Butelki z zapachami to jedne z wielu eksponatów otwartego wiosną 2007 r. nowoczesnego amsterdamskiego muzeum House of Bols, poświęconego najstarszej na świecie marce alkoholowej. Można tu komputerowo skomponować swój najlepszy koktajl z Bolsem, a także zapisać się na kurs w akademii barmańskiej.
Odpowiednio dokształceni, możemy teraz zrobić rundkę po amsterdamskich barach.
|
