Happy New Year Everyone!
Today we are going to start off the year with an interview with Phil Duff, the former Brand Ambassador of Bols(while we were speaking of Bols.in the comments the other day...) and owner of Door 74 in Amsterdam....
1. Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Philip Duff, and I own Liquid Solutions, advising drinks companies on how best to market their products, especially with regard to the on-trade and bartenders. I’m also co-owner of door 74, a speakeasy in Amsterdam, and spend a ridiculous amount of my time writing (BarLife Czech, Mixology Germany, Australian bartender etc) and speaking at bar shows all around the world, as well as boxing, running and pursuing beautiful women.
2. How did you slip in into bartending?
I was going to be a doctor but I stood in the wrong queue......No, I started part-time at the age of 15 in Ireland, and just loved it, kept bartending and even managing bars in Dublin and London during college, and moved to London to do it full-time after graduating university. I always did a lot of training and consulting, because I was fortunate to have my very first job in a bar that was serious about training, hence I learned a lot very fast in a time before Internet, bar magazines and the very many bar shows of good quality we now have.
3. For you, what is most important in a bar - can be anything
Hospitality. Staff giving you the feeling that you are welcomed, wanted, that’s they are glad you’re there. Nothing else matters as much as this. After that, though, a close second, is good technical service: orders taken quickly, made correctly, delivered fast, being asked if you’d like another without having to wait, being able to get the bill quickly when you ask for it.
4. In which bar do you feel most comfortable?
Rum Trader in Berlin. There is no finer host, in my humble opinion, than Mr. Scholl. After that, Le Lion in Hamburg and the Bayswater Brasserie in Sydney.
5. What is your favourite spirit?
Oooh! Has to be whisky, in all it’s myriad forms. I hope the genever business pull their socks up though and begin expanding their offer for premium and aged genevers, though, because good genever, as rare as it is, is sublime.
6. What drink do you drink in which atmosphere?
Beer and shots in Bubbles ( a very late night sweat-dripping-from-the-ceiling disco in Amsterdam), wine with good food, gin-and-tonics in Rum Trader, excellent aperitif cocktails at all times of the day, water while I’m working (the occasional ginger beer as well) and usually a nice tequila after work.
7.What is essential for an ideal bar atmosphere/ what is a perfect bar atmosphere?
Looking at everything, every little thing, from the guest perspective. This is why it’s a great idea to have someone external do the lighting and music , by the way: our own perspective is blunted by spending far too much time in bars, which our guests do not. Heating, lighting, music choice and volume, routing through the space, how pleasant it is (or not) to sit in every seat, and to obsessively seek out and remove all small irritations. All this is easy. Hosting people, smiling at them, being pleasant, complimentary, is much harder, though rewarding, work. To me, a perfect atmosphere is when there is background music that is not quite drowned out by the “buzz” of guests talking to each other, undisturbed by the ringing of telephones, with an excellent mix of young, old, local, foreign, drinks nerds, business people and the interesting and beautiful people of our world, all meeting each other and enjoying the civilised atmosphere of a good bar with great drinks and friendly service.
8. What makes a good bartender?
The desire to spend time with people coupled with top-notch technical skills of knowledge, speed, efficiency, hygiene and organisation, and a love of the nightlife and all it brings.
9. Do you have any idols?
Mr. Scholl for his effortless class and Mr. Schumann for his refusal to compromise.
10. What do you think about shochu?
I spend a lot of time giving seminars in Japan and Korea, starting about 9 years ago, so I discovered shochu early. It is a fascinating and complex category, and one that is changing rapidly, just like tequila and genever, as producers expand their creativity to include flavours, ever-more artisanal production and innovations. I watch it with great interest, but have to confess I drink it only rarely.
11. What is your favourite quote or advice for our readers?
Well, it s bit long, but you have to go a long way to beat Mr. Cipriani’s excellent quote:
“"There is soul, and there are things.
Imagine a world made up only of objects,
A world of idle tools,
A restaurant of nothing but tables and chairs,
A large empty theater or a deserted plaza in summer.
They cry out for the service of man,
The service to give them life.
We call on man to display his splendid capabilities.
And
We observe with undivided attention,
Because
The little nuances in the quality of his service
Give a flawless measure of his mind
They tell us frankly what his soul is worth,
Because,
To serve is first to love".
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