Click on Image to view Presentation Slides

The second seminar I was involved with at Tales of the Cocktail was all to do with was the VOC (Dutch East Indies Trading Company) has done for the modern bar. The moderator for this seminar was/is a great friend of mine called Misja Vorstermans from Global Bartending and ISAAC Company.  The link to the seminar slides will give you bullet points which were elaborated on in far more detail during the seminar, but this should give you a rough idea on what was touched on.

We were joined by Eric Seed from Haus Alpenz who also happened to be our sponsor for the session and provided everyone with great information on the production of Batavia Arrack, Swedish Punch as well as the trials and tribulations that sometimes come with both. Thank you Eric…

It was fascinating researching this seminar, diving into archives and even paying a visit to the Coffee plant who’s snippets were taken by the Dutch to Surinam and from there, to almost all of South America, the Carribean and even parts of Africa. Holland is indeed a small country, but as you’ll see through the bullet points in the presentation slides, it’s influence has been mega.