How do the delicious TUI BLUE cocktails in the hotels come about and how can I mix them? The TUI BLUE Cocktail Class with Ole Buddrus answers your questions! Ole has been developing cocktails for the TUI BLUE hotels since the beginning and has filmed a video series for Youtube together with a film team at the TUI BLUE Sylt. Find out how it came about and what you can expect in the videos in the interview.
TUI BLUE: How did the joint video shoot come about and what did you do?
Ole: The TUI BLUE Cocktail Class is a cocktail journey around the world. What is special about the TUI BLUE concept is that wherever possible, we incorporate the spirit of the place into the cocktail concepts of the hotels. This means that flavours, tastes and sometimes stories that are firmly linked to the holiday country or location are reflected in the cocktails. These cocktails were developed exclusively for the respective TUI BLUE hotel and thus write real holiday history. With the TUI BLUE Cocktail Class, we want to bring these cocktails closer to the connoisseurs. This makes it child’s play to create a genuine holiday feeling at home.
As a consultant for the cocktail concepts, I have been with TUI BLUE since its launch, so it just felt right to present the great cocktails from the different countries.
TUI BLUE: What challenges did you face during the shoot?
Ole: Who wouldn’t have wanted to shoot the cocktail videos on location? But flying the entire film crew to Zanzibar for a cocktail video cannot be responsibly reconciled with sustainability. We got to shoot regionally at the great TUI BLUE Sylt. This was very well booked at the same time, which meant that we had to start very early in order not to block the processes in the hotel. Ultimately, the guests should be able to relax at the bar in the evening and not sit in the middle of the studio lights.
During the outdoor shoot on the beach of Sylt, it was so windy that the spirits were temporarily swirled by the wind while pouring. In the video, I talk a lot about a rough microclimate, which was just right.
TUI BLUE: How do you choose the ingredients for a cocktail?
Ole: We pay a lot of attention to regionality when it comes to the ingredients for TUI BLUE’s signature cocktails. Equal is best quality, after all we want to drink the cocktails and not use them as flower fertiliser. Sometimes that gets out of hand. For example, we make our own sugar syrup to achieve the right balance between sweetness and acidity.
A clear advantage here is that the holiday country already provides the tools for great flavours and tastes. In Zanzibar, for example, the spice farm for our homemade falernum is a few minutes’ drive from the hotel. On Sylt, the welcome cocktail is the Inselrose – a cocktail with an infusion of the local wild rose.
TUI BLUE: Sounds delicious. Which is your favourite cocktail?
Ole: By far the “Fuego”, which is a cocktail from the TUI BLUE Palm Beach Palace in Djerba, Tunisia. It’s a cuisine-style cocktail with a spicy harissa syrup, a spice paste that is omnipresent in Tunisia. Together with a smoky mezcal as a teammate and freshly squeezed pineapple juice, this drink always reminds me of the exciting cuisine of the holiday destination.
TUI BLUE: You know a few TUI BLUE hotels by now. Which one do you personally like best?
Ole: That’s really hard for me to decide. Because of the concept of regionality and the different styles of the hotels, there are many “favourite hotels”. At the TUI BLUE Jadran in Croatia, I am enchanted by the Makarska Riviera, the crystal clear water and the seemingly endless blue horizon. The TUI BLUE Sarigerme Park in Turkey combines tranquillity, nature and Turkish hospitality. And on Zanzibar there’s sun, exoticism and a wonderful beach. There can’t be one favourite.
TUI BLUE: One last question. What did you toast with after the shoot was finished?
Ole: I remember it fondly. It was on the beach on Sylt. We waited until sunset and everything was filmed, we toasted with the Pomelo Gimlet, one of the signature cocktails of the TUI BLUE Sylt. While doing so, we looked into the spectacular sunset. The perfect nightcap.
Recipe Pomelo Gimlet
30 ml Gin De Geele Küm
20 ml Verjus Kögler
20 ml pomelo liqueur
stir ice cold
strain into a cocktail glass
and decorate with a grapefruit disc
TUI BLUE: Thanks Ole! Now we really feel like a holiday and cocktails 😉
Do you want to mix the TUI BLUE cocktails?
You can find the whole Cocktail Class series on Youtube. Get in the mood for your holiday at TUI BLUE!