Great news to share! Kaj de Hertog, student at Hotel Management School Leeuwarden at NHL Stenden, has been named Bols Hotelschool Bartender of the Netherlands 2026.
Kaj represented Hotel Management School Leeuwarden during the final of the Bols Excellence Class at the Bols Bartending Academy, led by Balthazar Breij. After three days of training, the final brought together students from hotel schools across the Netherlands for a competition focused on knowledge, precision, creativity and mixology.
The final challenge asked participants to create a cocktail based on a given theme and bring it to life through storytelling. Kaj’s theme was Ancient Greece, which inspired his Greek-style Negroni based on the myth of Persephone, finished with a pomegranate foam layer.
Well done Kaj, congratulations on this fantastic achievement! A proud moment for Hotel Management School Leeuwarden.