Somm favorites with Harold Hamersma & Esmee Langereis: ‘Favorite hangover food? Katjesdrop!’
For the new and improved Grote Hamersma, Harold Hamersma and Esmee Langereis drank as many as 8,000 wines. But what do they drink when they’re not in the mood for alcohol? And what is their favorite hangover food?
Always in the fridge
Harold: “Champagne”
Esmee: “Butter”
Favorite drink
Harold: “Champagne”
Esmee: “Umm… wine.”
The first time I drank alcohol…
Harold: “Was in 1973. A one-liter carton of Pinard from Albert Heijn. It turned out to contain a wine virus, which immediately took possession of me.”
Esmee: “We always bought cheap Chianti from the night shop, which we drank in turns from my boyfriend’s toothbrush cup.”
Favorite hangover food
Harold: “Katjesdrop”
Esmee: “Herring”
Ultimate guilty pleasure
Harold: “Frankfurters”
Esmee: “Eating an entire ball of mozzarella by myself, or taking a lick of butter and then putting the packet of chocolate sprinkles to my mouth.”
Favorite bar tool
Harold: “Corkscrew”
Esmee: “The bartender”
What do you always buy ready-made?
Harold: “Wine”
Esmee: “Mayonnaise”
Everyone should try this
Harold: “Hollandse Nieuwe with manzanilla”
Esmee: “Susucaru rosé by Frank Cornelissen”
Strangest drink ever consumed
Harold: “Bear’s blood with herbs and honey. I’d really love to drink it again, because that would mean I was back in northern Vietnam.”
Esmee: “An oxidized pét nat (rhaaarhh, I still don’t know whether I liked it)”
Favorite restaurant (and what should we definitely order there?)
Harold: “Arles in Amsterdam. And riz au lait for dessert.”
Esmee: “Remouillage in Amsterdam: order everything.”
Favorite bar (and what should we definitely order there?)
Harold: “Vino y Co, Ibiza. Ask for the sake list.”
Esmee: “The pop-up bar at Chateau Amsterdam, order the Syrah!”
When I’m not in the mood for alcohol, I drink…
Harold: “Kefir by Simone van Thull.”
Esmee: “IPA 0.5”
Most overrated and underrated drink
Harold: “Overrated: alcohol-free wine. Underrated: Madeira.”
Esmee: “Overrated: fake cider. Underrated: sherry!”
Favorite food/booze movie
Harold: “Leaving Las Vegas. It gives you an incredible craving for hard liquor. Great soundtrack too.”
Esmee: “Every wino must have watched SOMM, comparable to that wonderful documentary about the MOFFS, but of course the best movie about wine is Sideways.”
The best bartender tip I’ve ever received
Harold: “Don’t eat salted peanuts. They ruin every wine.”
Esmee: “Always cut away from yourself (thanks to Peter vd Poot)”
The strangest request I’ve ever had at the bar
Harold: “Would you like a bowl of salted peanuts?”
Esmee: “I’m really not going to reveal that here.”
If you could choose, what would your last supper be and what would you drink with it?
Harold: “Brut nature Champagne with Zeeland ‘vier nullen’ oysters.”
Esmee: “My mother’s sukadelapjes, with a Beaujolais by Jean Foillard.”
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