The future is yours to create: Amber Liu

Fourth in our The Future is Yours to Create: International Women’s Day series is Amber Liu. The Senior Bartender of the Public House Taipei has been a rising star of the Asian bar scene since she first broke into the scene in 2021. She shares her motivations and excitement of her work in the industry and the two pieces of advice she carries closely till today.

A little bit about me

Hi I’m Amber, the senior bartender from The Public House Taipei. I came into the industry by chance when during the pandemic my plans for moving to Europe were cancelled and I instead started working at MU:Taipei as a host then bartender in 2020. Then in 2022 I joined The Public House as a bartender.

My favourite part of my job is learning new skills and the opportunity to meet new people. I especially find it fun to explore new techniques behind the bar.

Experiencing the different cultures also gives me insight into the different taste palates of my guests and how I can develop my own understanding of this into my cocktails.

Whenever we meet our guests, we find it important to get to know the guests at our bars. So getting the opportunity to exchange our experiences and theirs is a great thing. I think its the best part of my job when I can learn new things from my guests.

Traveling a lot and experiencing different cultures makes me very happy as an individual. Experiencing the other cultures also gives me insight into the different taste palates of my guests and how I can develop my own understanding of this into my cocktails.

Ambition and self achievement are what drives me as an individual. I have very high expectations for myself.

Amber Liu with The Public House team.

How I approach my work

The advice I’ve picked up that I want to share is to “Fake it till you make it”. I myself still feel like I am still very new to the industry. Because of this I make sure to always show confidence and professionalism when I work. So this advice from my colleagues has been helpful for me in my growth. Even when I get nervous, I will make sure that I will show that I am confident of my work and in control.

It’s important for my personal growth whenever I learn new things, like skills and techniques. Also watching my team grow and develop professionally, is what makes me feel like we are progressing together.

I think it’s important for employers to provide these opportunities to their employees to instill a greater amount of self-belief and confidence to help them grow. Giving people a stage to show their work can help develop people faster.

Money is important for sure. But I think trust, responsibilities, and chances are just as or even more important as motivation for employees. I think it’s important for employers to provide these opportunities to their employees to instill a greater amount of self-belief and confidence to help them grow. Giving people a stage to show their work can help develop people faster.

Brands are important supporters for the industry. Brands can help provide the financial support for international guest shifts and it allows us to exchange knowledge and experiences with people all over the world. Brand competitions are also a good stage for bartenders from all over to show what they can do and provide new opportunities for the participants.

My thoughts on mentorship

I have a lot of people that I look up to and admire. But I think something that they have in common is that these people are fearless in their work. I also admire those that are innovative and have helped evolve the industry within Taiwan and around the world. Those that are pioneering the drinking culture and building the industry here in Taiwan are big role-models for me.

Those that are pioneering the drinking culture and building the industry here in Taiwan are big role-models for me.

I think as a leader you must be able to lead your whole team. A leader should be like a role-model. They should be able to act decisively and make clear decisions in order to lead the team effectively.

Leaders in the industry can be great role-models for the younger generation. They can be examples of the type of bartenders that the younger generation can aspire to be like or learn from.

Amber Liu in action behind the bar.

My hopes for the future

The industry should come together more and have a healthier sense of competition. We should see it less as you vs me, and more as a “we”. Rather than seeing other bars as bad competition, I think we should create a more supportive community that helps build each other up.

I think bartenders hold the power to define the future of the industry because of social media and the ability to share what we are doing. We as bartenders can easily influence and share new ideas to others.

I want people to know that there is so much more to what we do than only about drinking shots.

It’s important that we change public perceptions of bartending by showing them that we do some amazing things in the industry and at our bars. I want people to know that there is so much more to what we do than only about drinking shots.

As part of my legacy I want people to think of me as a friendly, outgoing, and interesting person both behind and in front of the bar. That I can have both sides of me, one professional and serious behind the bar but then also friendly and easy going too.