Faye Chen

Faye Chen, bar manager at Speak Low in Shanghai caught up with Drinks World’s Danny Yang to talk about Patrón, bartending, mentors and the industry. Faye recently created a Patrón cocktail menu for Flint Grill & Bar and Bar Q88 at the JW Marriott in Hong Kong.

FayeChen

DANNY YANG: Tell us a little about yourself?

FAYE CHEN: I’m originally from Taiwan and I started in the industry around eight years ago. I used to work in a dive bar and there was a party where my boss hired a flair bartender to put a show on the stage. I was so impressed that I asked the flair bartender: “Where did you learn this?” He gave me a card so I found the teacher and that’s basically how I started in the industry.

DY: Tell us a little bit about Speak Low?

FC: Speak Low is a speakeasy style bar and we’ve been open for almost three years. It’s running quite well and we’ve made it into The World’s 50 Best Bars list. We focus on handcrafted cocktails and we have two different concept bars, one is what I would call American style and one is a more Japanese/British style of bar.

DY: Tell us something about your job that inspires you day-to-day?

FC: The luckiest thing with this industry is that it gives me the chance to meet a lot of people. I get the chance to talk to people, I get the chance to hear their stories and it makes me want to discover more and learn more. Customers, people around me and other bartenders inspire me.

DY: Have you had a great mentor in the industry? If so, what advice did they give you that you still work and live by today?

FC: There are a lot of good bartenders and mentors in this industry. Shingo Gokan, my boss, stands out for me. He taught me a lot of skills and how to run a bar, but most importantly, he taught me how to be a decent bartender. Being a decent bartender is not just about making great cocktails, it’s about your attitude, for example how you talk to people, how you treat industry friends, and how you manage yourself, both mentally and physically. How you manage yourself when you’re under a lot of pressure and how you behave when you’ve got a super bad hangover. Those are the things he taught me. Even though I’m a champion in the competition, he once said that when people start looking up to you, you have to push yourself more and always keep improving. Faye’s signature Crack of Dawn cocktail

DY: You’re in Hong Kong creating your signature Patrón cocktails. Have you created the cocktail specifically to suit the local palate profile?

FC: This time I prepared four cocktails for Patrón, all based on dishes I have tried before. I feel that it’s interesting to turn a dish into a drink. I’ve added some Asian concepts and flavours like Sichuan pepper, cilantro, chestnut and oolong tea, so when the customer drinks it they can taste similar flavours to the dishes. Hong Kong is similar to Shanghai in that it is an international city with western influence, so with the drinks I added Asian ingredients.

DY: From the Patrón portfolio do you have a favourite expression?

FC: This is a really hard question! If I really have to choose one, I would say Patrón XO Café because this product, for me, is great and every time I serve it to a customer I can see they are easily satisfied. It’s also a good base that I can use in many different cocktails.

DY: And finally, what’s your favourite Patrón cocktail after a long shift?

FC: As bartenders we always like to keep it simple, especially after a long shift so a drink like Patrón Silver and soda is great. Personally, I like anything Old Fashioned, so I’d make a Patrón Añejo Old Fashioned.

Faye’s signature Patrón cocktails are available at Flint Grill & Bar and Bar Q88 until March 23, 2017.

° MEET ° Ladiesin Liquor

The industry can be a fast paced environment, whether you’re behind the stick, bar backing, managing venues, brewing, winemaking or distilling (or a combination of these). Drinks World wanted to get some insight from some of the most talented ladies in the industry from Australia and South East Asia. From inspiration to mentoring and everything they love and don’t love about the drinks industry.

Symphony Loo, Bar Manager, Neon Pigeon, Singapore

DRINKS WORLD: Tell us something about your job that inspires you day-to-day.

GEMMA DUFF: The everyday people who walk into the bar and sit with us. It sounds horribly clichéd and sick worthy, but having taken a few months off from serving and getting back into the swing of things now, I realised what a privilege it is to hear people’s story, to be the person at the end of someone’s day. In some ways, it’s the relationship we are all looking for, someone to take care of us, make us laugh and pour us a drink. Besides that, it’s the people who take huge strides and effort to create something – be that alcohol brands, creative marketing, bars that inspire us. It is unbelievably hard to put yourself out there, create and hope someone else will believe in the same dream.

SYMPHONY LOO: I’m passionate about flavour, cooking and making cocktails. We have a great bar and kitchen team so we work together to make an exciting menu. This is our goal day-to-day, and I just want to learn more and implement it. I’m also passionate about hospitality, and making a cocktail that the customer loves is a huge reward.

Cherry Lam, Brand Ambassador, Diageo Portfolio, Moët Hennessey Diageo Hong Kong

Jemima McDonald, Bar Manager at Earl’s Juke Joint

HARRIET LEIGH: I come into work with the smell of New Make wafting in the air. I get to taste, smell and talk about booze all day long. And now, after 18 years of late nights and weekend work I’m a day worker. And I love it. I get to go to weddings! Birthday parties! Bar Mitzvahs! And I get to harass people on the other side of the bar finally. My new career has seen me thrown out of some of Sydney’s finest establishments.

DW: Have you ever had a mentor or been part of a group or program that has supported you in your career as a female bartender?

CHERRY LAM: Tony Conigliaro – The key person of the Drink’s factory, a pioneering team of a drinks consultancy, which has collaborated with chefs, perfumers, chocolatiers and designers. It has been an honour to work for them in London, to see how to manage some trendy concept bars such as, 69 Colebrook Row, Bar Termini, the Zetter Townhouse and the new bar – Untitled. It was also a pleasure to work in Jason Atherton’s restaurant as a head bartender at Blind Pig. Last but not least, my first mentor who inspired me and gave me the chance to take the next step in my career – Antonio Lai from Tastings Group. I’ve always kept a little space in my heart for my home, Quinary!

GEMMA DUFF: I helped Mitch Wilson put together the Academy of Bartenders and it’s been something I’m immensely proud to be involved in. It’s about being all inclusive and attracting everyone from bar-backs to bar owners, to hear others’ stories and further their learning. I am also a huge advocate for Coleman’s Academy and everything Paige Aubort does for the industry. There was much hype and criticism at the start, and I sat on the fence for a long time about how I felt about having a female-based program. But at the end of the day everything Paige puts out is extremely positive and is helping to keep females in the industry for longer, it’s hard to be critical of anything that is projecting positivity, creativity and strength.

KINO SOH: Hannah Waters created Bar Belles and I think things are going well. Within the industry itself, there’s all the support you need. And there is more and more shout out for women to enter competitions. As the industry grows, I’m sure more challenges will be encountered, so I think the only thing left to do is to create an environment where we can come together, share those challenges and look for ways to overcome them.

KATE MCGRAW: I’ve been lucky in that every bar program I’ve been a part of has placed such a huge emphasis on ‘genderless’ training. At Lotus Group I’m lucky to have two amazing mentors in Tara Sullivan and Annette Lacey, both of whom have incredible industry pedigree and who really put the time into developing my colleagues and me.

JEMIMA MCDONALD: I have attended Coleman’s Academy, and it was definitely uplifting to hear other established and successful women tell their stories. I guess my personal mentors have been the guys that trained me up at Earl’s, namely Pasan Wijesena, Dale Schoon, Bede Sincalir etc., and before that, the Swillhouse team. I like the thought of your own colleagues mentoring, encouraging and teaching each other, and I’ve been lucky enough to always find work in super nurturing environments.

SYMPHONY LOO: Yeah for sure. My former Bar Manager at Four Seasons taught me not only cocktail skills and techniques but the whole experience; the flavour, the appearance. And then after that when I came to Neon Pigeon, Rohit Roopchand, taught me all about the business. It’s not only about making cocktails, but how to run a business. The two of them have inspired me greatly.

DW: With your expertise and years of experience in the industry, have you taken on a mentor role for any bartenders, either through the workplace or via other initiatives?

LEFT: Harriet Leigh, Venue Manager, Archie Rose Distilling Co RIGHT: Kate McGraw, Bar Operations Manager, Lotus Dining Group

KATE MCGRAW: I think it’s strange to call oneself a mentor. With that said, in a lot of ways I’ve become ‘cool Aunty Kate’ for a lot of them – we’ll have a great time but I’ll throw in a wedge of wisdom here and there. My whole approach to training is empowerment; I see my job more as helping young bartenders figure out the way they want to bartend and then trying to help them carve their paths with not only my knowledge, but also the knowledge of the friends I have in the industry. I think the initiatives like Coleman’s Academy are great, and Paige Aubort is a force of nature. It’s so great for up and coming bartenders to have such accessibility to strong role models – it’s something that I wish had been around when I started out.

SYMPHONY LOO: We always get together to support each other because we work for different bars. The schedule is very tough, but we try to meet on Sundays or after work. Hannah Waters also created a female bartender community called the Bar Belles. She organises masterclasses and events. And even though she is moving to New Zealand, we are going to try and keep Bar Belles going.

HARRIET LEIGH: All managers are to some degree mentors. At Archie Rose, I have the least amount of time to train staff of any job I’ve had previously. I am in the office for a large amount of my week. But I like setting challenges for my staff. There is nothing more satisfying than watching my junior staff develop their skills. While I know Coleman’s Academy is a mentoring program, I taught people how to catch spiders, so I don’t think that counts.

DW: What do you think are the current challenges facing female bartenders?

KATE MCGRAW: I feel like there’s still a void in terms of information and support for young women who are looking to make a career behind the bar. There are some excellent bar managers working who treat their female bartenders exactly the same as their male counterparts, but there is an equal number of bar managers who still think that women can’t bar back because lifting cases of beer and moving kegs around is ‘dude work’. Our industry is lacking female creativity and knowledge because women still struggle to get their foot in the door at the ground level.

JEMIMA MCDONALD: Recently I have had trouble finding somewhere to stash my bar blade when I don’t have a back pocket, and trying to not sweat my liquid eyeliner off. Also, it’d be nice if there were more of us! I guess it can be hard to be seen and heard when the industry is so male dominated, and sometimes it really can feel like a man’s world. However, in saying that, it’s up to the individual to work hard, and hard work pays off.

SYMPHONY LOO: When I started in Four Seasons as a bar back it was quite tough. I mean two years ago there were maybe 10 female bartenders working in Singapore. At the hotel, customers didn’t always take me seriously until I made a drink. But sometimes I didn’t even get the chance to make a drink. In this industry you have to prove yourself. For chefs, people look at the menu and order the food, there’s no face-to-face. For bartenders it’s different. You have to encourage and actually sell customers to drink your cocktails. That’s another challenge. I think nowadays it’s getting better and better.

KINO SOH: When I first started, maybe once or twice when I was running the floor, customers would assume I was a waistress, not a bartender. And then I would have to explain that we are all bartenders. Some women have faced challenges though. One of the Highball girls told me last year when she finished school and started applying for bartending jobs, they told her that only boys can apply for the position and girls can be servers. So we still need to try and balance things out.

GEMMA DUFF: I don’t believe there are so

many challenges specific to female bartenders in the current city based environment I am in. I do acknowledge, however, that further out, and in certain groups, just getting to be a bartender and not a door girl is still a real fight. We do have lots of challenges facing the bartending community as a whole though, one’s I think are starting to be addressed which is great to see. Mental Health, physical health, creating a family and staying in the industry, relationships and how to forge a long-term career are the big topics at the moment. We have got to stop selfdestructing one of the best chances we’ve got of making the world a better place.

DW: Do you think the male bartending community is supportive of female bartenders?

SYMPHONY LOO: Customers start to accept female bartenders because people get lots of information about them winning competitions, and they start to take us more seriously. And male bartenders help us as well. They are more open to us entering the competitions and the events. And they encourage us to work together. The brands are getting behind us too. So, for example, me, Hannah Waters, Christyne Lee and Charmaine Thio are now members of the St Germain Sisters, which was organised by Bacardi.

GEMMA DUFF: Absolutely. I think there is still some debate around the fact it is difficult for some men to see what we see, they simply haven’t had the same experiences and it isn’t obvious to them what is happening. I think it’s super important we speak up, put our hands up and start talking about all the little ways misogyny still exists. In saying that, all the men in my life are extremely supportive of everything I’ve ever wanted to do, but then again I don’t tend to surround myself with men that aren’t. We are kidding ourselves if we think we don’t still have a long way to go. Cue Trump election.

JEMIMA MCDONALD: Personally, I have always felt supported. I also work with the most genuinely lovely guys in the world, so maybe I have been spoilt? Often we get people come into Earl’s and comment on me being the only female bartender, and my response to that is that we would hire more girls in a heartbeat if they came through the door asking for a job! Kino Soh, Owner of Highball, Singapore

Sadly that just doesn’t happen often enough. In my experience though, I haven’t had many situations in which I have been made to feel inferior or burdened by my gender.

DW: Who are some of the up-and-coming female bartenders we should know about that are currently kicking ass behind the stick?

CHERRY LAM: Amanda Wan of The Tastings Group has always been kicking ass. She was also the Malaysian Champion of World Class 2010. It is a great pleasure having her in Hong Kong to share her passion and knowledge to our community. Beckaly Franks, the owner of Pontiac, one of the most famous spots in Central, has trained some of the top female bartenders in town, her big personality has a big influence on the industry.

KATE MCGRAW: I have to give a shout out to our guns behind the bar at Lotus Dumpling Bar – Sarah, Julia, Sandy and Rachel. It’s an all female team out there and they smash it out of the park every day of the week they are behind that bar!

GEMMA DUFF: There are so many bartenders now who are putting everything they have into creating a career in hospitality. I watch Alissa Gabriel make drinks and am inspired by her love for it every time, Mary White has been killing it forever.

JEMIMA MCDONALD: I know a lot of amazing, talented girls in this industry! Back in my Frankie’s days we had a little gang of babes called Vagina Island, which we have managed to maintain to this day. Maria Hanley is killing it over at Bloodwood, and so Tara Bullard down at Dulcie’s in Merimbula. Phoebe McWhirter isn’t behind the stick anymore, but is an amazing big boss lady at Stanbuli. I am so proud of every girl that gets out there, puts their head down and grinds in this industry, it’s hard, but the venues we are in wouldn’t be the same without us.

HARRIET LEIGH: Jemima from Earl’s is always a treat. All the good-time girls at Big Poppa’s, but especially Shay Chamberlain, Mary from Lobo Plantation, Thalita at Bulletin Place, Sabs from Frankie’s isn’t exactly up and coming but she kicks more ass than anyone else in town. And how lucky is Sydney and Hubert Restaurant and Bar that we managed to steal Jenna Hensworth from the Melbournians! I’ve also go three killer women working the bar at Archie Rose; Federica Thorn, Hayley Skeggs, and Cassie Field.