As mentioned in previous posts, team mates Max Curzon-Price, Grant Sceney and Jeff Savage had landed safely and were taking in the sights of the great city of Amsterdam. They were given VIP tours of the House of Bols distillery and cruised through all the districts on a classic canal boat with all the other international competitors.

And what a competition it was. The first round consisted of a Mystery Challenge, which saw the team learning about 18th century Dutch Master painters in order to create a cocktail inspired by the 1756 Jean-Étienne Liotard painting, A Dutch Girl at Breakfast. Naturally, the team felt it best to truly bring the painting to life for their cocktail presentation, pictured below. (Yes, that’s our very own Max Curzon-Price sporting the blue frock and cap.) Clearly, the dress was a hit, as the team rolled into the last round with very high stakes at hand.

But if you’ve spent any time up at Botanist Bar this year (and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?), you know that the Into the Æther Cocktail the bar team created is a real showstopper. The team had the prestigious international competition judges lapping it up as they described in great detail all of the intricate steps involved in executing their perfect floating libation.

The energy was buzzing and the teams on high alert when they were all welcomed onstage by host House of Bols, and before you knew it, they were announcing Canada’s Botanist Bar Team as this year’s winner!

A special thanks to the Botanist Bar team members who are holding down the wood while these gents are off jetsetting, winning all the awards, and to videographer Martin Michael, without whom the Botanist Bar Bols competition entry couldn’t have made it past the first round! Congratulations to all involved and well done!