Spectacular Cocktail Competition During The Gin Festival 2025
Jeneverfestival 2025 promises to be a special edition culminating in an exciting cocktail competition. The competition brings together the best bartenders from across the Netherlands to showcase their creative skills and knowledge of gin. The competition, which takes place in the historic Havenkerk church, is a perfect combination of craft, innovation and pure taste experience.
A Platform For Innovation and Tradition
The cocktail competition is a unique opportunity to celebrate the versatility of gin as an ingredient. While gin is often associated with traditional consumption, such as pure or in the classic headbutt, the competition highlights how the product can also inspire modern mixology. Participants are challenged to create innovative cocktails that are not only flavorful, but also reflect gin’s rich history. According to Arij Groenewegen, director of the National Gin Museum and organizer of the festival, the cocktail competition is more than a competition: “It is a stage where bartenders, distillers and gin lovers meet. It shows how versatile our national heritage is and inspires a new generation to get started with gin.”
Participants and Criteria.
The competition is open to both professional bartenders and aspiring hobbyists. Each participant will have the opportunity to present his or her signature cocktail to a jury of renowned experts from the world of mixology and gastronomy. Among the judges are well-known names such as mixologist Tess Posthumus and chef Joris Bijdendijk, who will pay critical attention to:
- Creativity: How original is the concept?
- Flavor Balance: Are the flavors in harmony and does the gin fit in well?
- Presentation: How attractively is the cocktail presented?
- Story: What is the inspiration behind the cocktail and how does it tie in with the festival theme?
Participants are encouraged to use locally produced genevers as much as possible, including the museum’s house brand, Old Schiedam.
Inspiration: “The Story Of Gin”
The competition’s theme, “The Story of Jenever,” challenges participants to incorporate the rich history and culture surrounding jenever into their creations. From its origins in Dutch distilling to its international impact, each glass tells its own story. “It’s not only about taste, but also about what you want to convey,” explains jury president Tess Posthumus. “A good cocktail tells a story, and this competition gives bartenders the chance to pay tribute to gin with taste, aroma and presentation.”
Program
The cocktail competition will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025, the first day of the two-day Gin Festival. The program starts at 2 p.m. and runs as follows:
- 14:00 – Opening and introduction of participants
- 14:30 – Preliminary Round: Participants present their cocktails to the judges. The top five will advance to the finals.
- 16:30 – Final: The finalists will have a new challenge: making an improv cocktail with surprise ingredients.
- 17:30 – Awards ceremony: The winner will receive the coveted title “Best Gin Cocktail of 2025,” along with a cash prize and an exclusive collaboration with the Gin Museum.
Accessible For All
Not only professionals are welcome; visitors to the festival can watch the cocktail competition live. A special audience stage has been set up where spectators can watch the bartenders at work while enjoying a drink. In addition, tastings will be held during the competition, so visitors can experience for themselves how diverse gin is. For those who want to get started themselves, there are workshops where participants will learn how to make simple but impressive cocktails with gin. This makes the cocktail competition not only a spectacle, but also an interactive experience for the audience.
Collaborations With Partners
The cocktail competition is made possible by a collaboration with renowned partners in the beverage industry. Among others, SpiritsNL, S’dam Partners and several distilleries have pledged their support. These collaborations underscore the importance of the festival as a platform for promoting gin, not only in Schiedam but throughout the Netherlands. “It’s great to see both local and national partners coming together to put gin in the spotlight,” Groenewegen said. “The cocktail competition is an example of how tradition and innovation can go hand in hand.”
The Gin Festival: A Complete Weekend of Experience
The cocktail competition is just one of the many highlights of the Gin Festival. The event offers a wide range of activities, including distillery tours, historical walks, lectures and foodpairing sessions. There is something for young and old to enjoy.
With the Havenkerk as its setting, the festival offers a unique ambiance in which visitors can discover the rich history and modern applications of gin. The festival attracts thousands of visitors annually and plays an important role in strengthening Schiedam’s position as the gin capital of the Netherlands.
