High Life

品 70 #10 2017 年 7 月 他娓娓道来，“我来自一个不太富裕的家庭，16岁就开始 工作。我决定去日本，因为他们对于细节的关注让我着迷，尤 其在调制鸡尾酒方面。到了那里之后，我也确实没有失望，受 益良多。他们让我看到，要想成为一名出色的调酒师，激情、 投入和精准都不可或缺。” 如今，Aki 会花时间培养下一代有才华的调酒师，而他在 调动兴趣和传道授业方面的秘诀是，让学生自己试错。 他解释道，“最糟糕的做法是在培训中大吼大叫。除此之 外，不要总是去发号施令。相反，我喜欢给他们机会自己去调 制。例如，茶是我们特色鸡尾酒中的主要成分，但是需要一些 技巧才能完美地冲泡。我会让员工来冲泡，品尝，然后再来告 诉我有什么问题。这可能需要时间，但最终他们会找到正确的 方法。” 茶是 Aki 的诸多鸡尾酒配方以及中国文化的一个重要组 成。他最近涉足的一个项目，即是前去和台湾各地的茶农见 面，筹建自己的茶叶公司。调酒或许是一个西方概念，但这丝 毫没有阻挡 Aki 将自己文化根源的一部分融入其中，增添新的 视角并呈现给世界。 他笑称，“求知若饥，虚心若愚。如果你想要出类拔萃， 就必须想出新意，并坚持下去。” “This brings back memories from my sweet childhood when I did not have a worry on my mind and spent hours playing with toys, yet the creation is sophisticated and speaks to the senses, with nuances and layers of flavors that are well balanced. Playful, yet truly impressive,” I comment. With over 22 years in the food and beverage industry – not onlyasaprofessionalbartenderbutawell-experiencedconsultant since 2001 –Aki is also the founder and co-owner of Indulge Life HospitalityGroup inTaipei. Heading four restaurants and bars, a food and beverage management consultancy, a wine and spirits import company and a design company, he has now earned the nickname of “The Cocktail Godfather” in the Chinese-speaking world, but according to him, success did not come easily. “I came from a not-so-well-off family and started working when I was 16. I decided to go to Japan because I had always been fascinated with their attention to detail, especially when making cocktails,” he explains. “Indeed, I was not disappointed when I was there and learned a lot. They have shown me that passion, dedication and precision are essentials if you want to be a great bartender.”