全球最知名的華裔調酒師Ran Duan，將於2017年9月起擔任 KOR Taipei 行政調酒師（Executive Head Bartender）一職，預計為KOR Taipei 帶來最創新的酒吧經營系統，以及數款最具話題的全新調酒，也將引進「調酒創意發想」、「吧台前置流程」、「顧客服務原則」等等最新概念，預計將為台灣調酒產業帶來不小的震撼教育。

Ran Duan早在3年前便已名滿美國，背後不僅僅是他調酒的技巧，更是因為他具有邏輯、管理思維的知識。他曾登上美國GQ年度調酒師封面、拿下調酒界中最大的兩個榮譽：「BACARDI 傳世雞尾酒大賽美國冠軍」以及「Bombay Sapphire’s 全美最具想像力調酒師」，更被美國餐飲權威雜誌 Zagat 選進「30位30歲以下廚界新秀榜單 (Zagat 30 under 30) 」。雖然他今年才31歲，Ran Duan經營的酒吧以及他本人卻早已是業界指標，被調酒大賞 ”Tales of The Cocktail Spirited Awards“ 評選為「全美10大最佳酒吧」、「全美10大最佳調酒師」。

KOR Taipei 自從2016年11月開幕至今，品牌精神就是不斷的「進化 ( Evolution )」，這次特別從美國邀請 Ran Duan 來到台灣，目標就是要將全球不同的酒吧文化引進台灣。酒吧的類型其實有非常多種，絕非單一面貌，像KOR 本身就是Cocktail Bar & Lounge，國外風行的還有Tiki Bar、Dive Bar、Wine Bar…等各式各樣的酒吧，我們在未來將持續提供不同的體驗給消費者。

因此，Ran Duan身為成功的調酒師及酒吧經營者，他將在來台期間教授「創新流程」，讓KOR 的調酒師不僅可以將調酒做到美味，更能以創造概念的方式將調酒提升到更高層次。他也將分享他「如何賦予作品創意」、「如何提供顧客滿意且可以快速製作的高品質調酒」、「如何讓顧客輕鬆且賓至如歸」…等等。Ran Duan認為，「美味調酒的第一個材料就是“好客”」，一個成功的調酒師並不只是把酒做到完美就足夠，還要永遠記得自己做的是服務業，客人的體驗才是最重要的。這也難怪他的座右銘是：「調酒的藝術不僅僅是做出完美的飲料，而是服務客人的心（Bartending is not about serving drinks, is about serving guests. ）」

Ran Duan 為 KOR Taipei 量身打造了 4 款全新調酒，其中包括一杯名為「C.R.E.A.M」 的調酒，靈感來源就是經典傳奇 Hip hop 歌曲- Wu-Tang Clan – C.R.E.A.M. (CASH RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME)， 這杯調酒以威士忌為底的調酒是為熱愛嘻哈文化的男性打造，特別用假鈔作為裝飾物，巧妙的把嘻哈精神融入在調酒中，與KOR Taipei的音樂完美搭配。

華裔調酒師的美國夢

Ran Duan一躍成為美國最優秀的調酒師，背後是一個經典的「美國夢」。 他3歲時和父母移民到美國，當時他的父親懷抱著演藝事業的夢想，在路易斯安那州立大學學習歌劇表演，但當他發現華裔演員在美國的困境後，便放棄自己的夢想、舉家搬到麻省，在Brookline開設了四川餐廳 Sichuan Garden。Ran Duan從小就在餐館裡幫忙，直到就讀 Johnson&Wales 大學攻讀“飯店與餐廳管理”學位期間，他依舊保持著每週上4天課、其餘3天管理餐廳的生活。

2009年，Ran Duan獲得學位後，恰好美國興起 Craft Cocktail （精緻調酒）的風氣，Ran Duan 便到 Deep Ellum、Eastern Standard 等酒吧去觀摩，略有心得之後便回家說服父親將四川餐廳的吧台改頭換面，也就是現在知名的傳奇酒吧 「The Baldwin Bar」。

Ran Duan目前在美國經營著三個餐飲品牌，分別是川菜餐廳「Sichuan Garden 」及酒吧「 The Baldwin Bar」，還有一個調酒顧問公司「Twelve24 」，三個品牌都非常成功。甚至他在2014年與哈佛商學院副教授埃德曼（Ben Edelman）的「4元事件」，更讓Ran Duan的名聲在社群媒體上延燒。

就這樣，在不斷的摸索與創新後，Ran Duan開始代表餐廳酒吧的身份四處參賽，成為調酒比賽圈中的常客。他最知名的一杯優勝調酒就是2015年Bacardi 傳奇調酒大賽中，以華人傳統價值「傳承」為主題的「父親的忠告（ Father’s Advice ）」，這杯酒以蘭姆酒為基礎，加上苦精、甜苦艾酒和橙香利口酒及Amontillado雪莉酒，調配出苦和鹹的交融，最後加上一點香蕉利口酒，將忠告的苦澀最後帶往親情的甜美。

Ran Duan的成功其實都指向同一個字 –「Family」，這在一向我行我素的調酒師行業裡聽起來多麼違和，卻也正因如此，讓Ran Duan在清一色白人的調酒師中藉由華人的文化獨樹一幟。身為唯一一個在世界上享有聲譽的華裔調酒師，我們期待Ran Duan將豐富的知識帶給台灣新一代的調酒師，再創下一個生機盎然的台灣「新調酒文化」。

---

Ran Duan 小檔案

經歷-

餐廳Sichuan Garden、酒吧The Baldwin Bar、The Baldwin & Sons Trading Co. 經營者暨調酒總監；調酒顧問公司Twelve24 創辦人；並擔任眾多調酒組織之委員、各種餐廳及酒吧的顧問。

獎項-  

2017 ”Tales of The Cocktail Spirited Awards“ 「全美10大最佳酒吧」、「全美10大最佳調酒師」；

2015年 Zagat 「30位30歲以下廚界新秀榜單 (Zagat 30 under 30) 」；

2015 BACARDI 傳世雞尾酒大賽美國冠軍；

2014 美食權威媒體 Eater 「年度調酒師」；

2014 GQ 雜誌年度調酒師封面人物；

2014 龐貝藍鑽「最具想像力調酒師」美國冠軍；

2014 美國調酒師協會「鐵血調酒師」第一名；

2014 BACARDI 傳世雞尾酒 USBG 區域冠軍；

2013 Campari USBG 最佳開胃調酒區域冠軍；

2011 Double Cross 伏特加大賽冠軍；

2010 Sky 伏特加大賽冠軍

 

---

KOR Taipei’s New Executive Head Bartender – Ran Duan – “America’s Most Imaginative Bartender”

 

Ran Duan, the most celebrated Chinese-American bartender will be the executive head bartender of KOR Taipei starting in September 2017. He will focus on the evaluation & improvement of existing cocktail creation, bar setup and breakdown procedures, and customer service principles, as well as constructing new, exciting cocktails.

He has appeared on the cover of GQ magazine, and has won two of the most reputable competitions in the cocktail world: the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition and Bombay Sapphire’s World’s Most Imaginative Bartender. Furthermore, he was cited by Zagat, a prestigious food and beverage magazine, in their “30 Under 30, Rock Stars Redefining the Industry ”. Only 31 years old, he and his bar  have already emerged as benchmarks in the industry: he was cited by the “Tales of The Cocktail Spirited Awards” among the “Top 10 Bars” and “Top 10 Bartenders” in America.

Ran Duan owns 3 F&B related companies in the US: Sichuan Garden (a Sichuan restaurant), The Baldwin Bar, and Twelve 24 Bar Supply & Consulting. The Sichuan Garden was notably involved in the “$4 Incident” with an Associate Professor from Harvard Business School who accused them of overcharging him $4 because their online menu did not reflect actual pricing. The incident went viral and Ran’s calm and collected responses to the unhappy professor drove the restaurant’s popularity even higher.

Being a successful bartender and bar owner, Ran Duan will instruct KOR’s bartenders in “innovative processes” that ensure the preparation of quick, high quality cocktails to the satisfaction of the customers. He will share his competition experiences and how to frame meaningful stories because “being friendly to guests is the very ingredient for making a tasty cocktail”. For Ran, a successful bartender not only prepares alcoholic drinks perfectly, but is eternally mindful of the service aspect as well. His motto: “Bartending is not about serving drinks, it is about serving guests”. He is also one who firmly believes in the importance of  being in the trenches with his fellow bartenders. Do not miss this opportunity to share a moment over cocktails with “America’s Most Imaginative Bartender”.

The first KOR signature cocktail that Ran has created is “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” inspired by Wu-Tang Clan’s classic track. It matches perfectly with KOR’s Hip Hop music direction as well as those of us still struggling for that “Dollar, dollar bill y’all”.

The American Dream

There is an “American Dream” story behind Ran Duan and his emergence as one of the most celebrated bartenders in the USA. He migrated with his parents to America at the young age of 3. At the time, his father dreamt of a future in show business and studied opera and stage performance at Louisiana State University. However, he soon was confronted with the hardships of being an ethnic-Chinese performer and decided to give up his show biz dream and relocate to Brookline, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. There he opened the Sichuan Garden – a restaurant serving Sichuan cuisine. Ran Duan started working at the restaurant from a very young age and continued to do so while pursuing a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management at Johnson & Wales University.

Ran Duan was conferred his degree in 2009, just about the time the craft cocktail movement gained popularity in the USA. Using visits to Deep Ellum, Eastern Standard and other bars for inspiration, he persuaded his father to overhaul the bar counter at Sichuan Garden. This became the legendary “The Baldwin Bar” where Boston industry people continue to flock to on their days off.

After repeated self-taught exploration and innovation, Ran Duan began participating in cocktail competitions, emerging as a familiar face in the circuit. His “Father’s Advice” cocktail won the 2015 Bacardi Legacy USA Competition. It’s based on the heritage of traditional Chinese values. The base of this cocktail is rum, mixed with bitters, sweet vermouth, orange liqueur, and amontillado sherry. It expertly blends the tastes of bitter and salty, topped off with a sweet touch of banana cordial.

There is one word for the Ran’s success – family – an uncommon trait in the more individualistic bartending industry. He is one of the few Chinese-American bartenders to have emerged at the top of a fiercely competitive industry. Ran Duan will share his wealth of experience with Taiwan consumers so that a vivid “Neo Bartending Culture” can be developed here.

Experience

• Owner and executive head bartender of Sichuan Garden, The Baldwin Bar, and The Baldwin & Sons Trading Co.

• Founder of Twelve 24 (bar supplies and consulting firm)

• Committee member of several bartending organizations.

Awards

2017 Tales of The Cocktail Spirited Awards – Top 10 Best American Restaurant Bar

2017 Tales of The Cocktail Spirited Awards – Top 10 Best American Bartender

2015 30 Under 30 most Influential – Zagat

2015 Bacardi Legacy USA Champion

2014 Eater Bartender of the Year

2014 GQ Magazine Bartender of the Year Cover

2014 Bombay Sapphire USA Champion

2014 1st place Bombay Sapphire M.I.B GQ Regional

2014 1st place Iron Bartender USBG

2014 Diageo North East World Class Regional Finalist

2014 1st Place Bacardi USBG Legacy Cocktail Regional

2013 1st Place Campari USBG best Aperitif Cocktail Regional

2011 1st Place Double Cross Vodka Competition

2010 1st Place Skyy Vodka Competition