Months before Celebrity Xcel’s Nov. 16 naming sailing — the ceremonial kickoff before it begins Caribbean itineraries and later heads to the Mediterranean — the real action has been happening far from the water: in test kitchens, training rooms, and late‑night calls between continents.
Daniele Salamone, Celebrity’s director of beverage operations, calls it “a year‑plus of building, tasting, and re‑building,” a process that began with a blank slate and a challenge to think beyond what’s been done at sea.
“Our guests are adventurous,” he said during a recent interview in Manhattan. “They try many places on land, and they’re looking for that same quality on board. What we’d never done before was actually find people who are in the business, working day‑to‑day behind the bar, and involve them in our process.”
That’s no small ask in a market where competitors have staked out their own identities. Royal Caribbean courts spectacle with its Bionic Bar, where robot arms shake and stir drinks. Carnival leans into themed venues like the apothecary‑style Alchemy Bar and immersive concepts such as the Fortune Teller. Norwegian has expanded its premium spirits lists and added daily “Bartender’s Choice” features. Virgin Voyages, meanwhile, leans into fleet‑wide culinary events like its Eat & Drink Festival 2025, complete with a “Passport to Flavors” bar‑hopping treasure hunt, secret speakeasies, and spirit masterclasses.
While Celebrity embraces moments of spectacle — think 60 flair‑trained bartenders at the Martini Bar — its newest ship leans on a different kind of star power: a roster of outside consultants with backgrounds in Michelin‑starred dining rooms, James Beard‑nominated restaurants, and award‑winning cocktail programs from Miami to Seattle. They were asked to imagine the kind of drinks they’d serve in their own bars, then work with Celebrity’s beverage team to adapt those ideas for thousands of guests at sea.
Inside the Build
Salamone calls it his “wild idea.”
“I wanted to give them a white paper to say, ‘Come up with your best ideas — the things someone always stopped you from doing — and then let us figure out how to make it work on board,’” he said
Sebastian Tollius, who balances running a North America’s 50 Best bar with overseeing cocktails at a three‑Michelin‑starred restaurant, remembers the early days of planning.
“The initial creativity always happened without limits in mind. We didn’t want to start by saying, ‘We can’t do this because of volume.’ We put all the creative efforts on paper first, then scaled back only where we had to,” Tollius said.
That meant adapting techniques like fat‑washing, clarification, and flavor‑infused ice for high‑volume service; designing bars so garnishes, ice, and glassware are exactly where they need to be; and creating zero‑proof cocktails with the same complexity as their boozy counterparts.
“It’s not a fruit punch,” Salamone said. “It’s an actual cocktail.”
Beyond Tollius, the roster of bartenders Celebrity tapped reflects a cross‑section of American cocktail culture. Julian Rue brings a palate shaped by Nashville’s culinary scene and Seattle’s neighborhood institutions, translating regional flavors into approachable builds. Inga Tantisalidchai, a decorated Southern California veteran, has a trophy case of competition wins and a reputation for precision. Miami’s Nikki Garcia is known for programs that hum night after night, balancing volume with craft. And Kit Benevides has trained and scaled bar teams from the East Coast to Las Vegas, giving the project a pragmatic backbone. Together, their fingerprints are on every menu, even if they won’t be behind the stick at sea.
Venues as Storytellers
On Xcel, each venue has its own narrative. Mosaic offers a curated coffee‑and‑cocktail crossover menu. Bora leans tropical and transportive. The Bazaar changes daily to reflect the ship’s port of call — a marigold‑topped Paloma for a Mexico‑themed festival one day, a clarified apple‑and‑pommeau spritz for Grand Cayman the next.
Tollius lit up describing one of his favorites: “For the Viva Festival, inspired by Day of the Dead, we used a black glass with a big, beautiful marigold garnish. It’s essentially a grapefruit Paloma with marigold and tea spices — the stark contrast of black and orange is just gorgeous.”
Cocktails Engineered for Balance
From the “Hibiscus This” — mezcal, blanc vermouth, amontillado sherry, hibiscus agave, aquafaba — to the “Blossom 75” with pommeau, vodka, and Prosecco, the drinks are built for balance. Sweetness is checked with saline or amaro; tropical notes are clarified for brightness.
For Tollius, a tropical Old Fashioned captures exactly what they set out to achieve: “It’s guava with bourbon rested in rum cask. Familiar, but not something you see every day. We clarified the guava so it’s bright, not pulpy, and balanced it with amaro and spice.”
Even the ice is considered: clear blocks for premium venues, sourced from land when onboard production can’t match the clarity.
“It’s the first time we’ve implemented different ice concepts across the ship,” Salamone said. “We’re even sourcing clear ice from vendors on land for certain bars.”
Why It Matters Now
According to the 2025 State of the Cruise Industry Report from CLIA, passenger capacity is projected to grow from 34.6 million in 2024 to nearly 44 million by 2033, with a 6.5% increase in 2025 alone. And the demographic mix is shifting: 82% of past cruisers say they will cruise again, and 36% of current cruise travelers are under 40.
“Younger guests are coming on board with expectations shaped by top‑tier hotel bars and craft‑cocktail culture,” Salamone said. “Why should they have a lower‑quality Negroni just because they’re at sea?”
Tollius agreed: “It’s about making something familiar, but making it interesting. You want guests to have that second drink because they loved the first — not because it was the only option.”
The Last Stir
When the consultants return in November for final onboard training, they’ll hand off not just recipes but the stories behind them.
“Guests want to hear the ideation,” Salamone said. “They want to feel part of it.”
Tollius sees it as a chance to reset expectations.
“We’ve shown that you can take the same care with a drink on a ship as you can in a top bar on land,” he said. “If we’ve done our job, people will leave talking about the cocktails as much as the destinations.”