Stories

Dat – Dennis Luu

8 June 2020

My Story

A Journey of Passion

Nationality: Vietnam
Occupation: Brand Ambassador
Workplace: Bacardi Vietnam Limited
Favorite Cocktail: Rum Negroni
Favorite Spirit: Rum, Scotch Whisky

What inspired you to become a bartender:

Maybe it was because of the art of making drinks, or maybe because it’s super fun to work in a bar. It all just comes from my heart and my soul.

Tell me about your bartending journey and how you got to where you are now:

“I started as a casual worker of the banquet department in Le Méridien Saigon. One day, I was moved to the fine-dining restaurant of the hotel and they had a bar. Since the first time I saw the bartender mixing drinks, I promised myself that I would become a bartender. I had no teacher, I learned to be a bartender with the internet with websites like Youtube, I read books too, and after a few tests I became principal bartender at the hotel. The bartender’s life in the hotel was quite boring for me so I decided to apply to Qui Cuisine & Mixology, one of the best and busiest bars in Vietnam. I did receive the opportunity to become a bartender at Qui and during the time I worked there, I learned a lot of things from the team.

In April of 2018, I started working at a new place in town called Alley50 Saigon, and during this time I decided to join bartending competitions. The first one was Macallan The M Finest Cut, I was 2nd runner up and then after that it was La Maison Cointreau, which again I was 2nd runner up, but when I saw that the Bacardi Legacy competition had started its first year in Vietnam, “It’s mine” I said.

With my signature cocktail named “El Legado”, which means “The Legacy” in Spanish, I was the first champion of Bacardi Legacy in Vietnam. “El Legado” takes inspiration from a common morning habit of a grown man in Vietnam, which is having coffee and cigarettes every morning but it was more than that. I was bringing my family legacy into the story when my parents opened a coffee shop when I was a little boy.

After that experience, I decided to be a part of the Bacardi family and I became the Brand Ambassador of Bacardi Vietnam Limited.”

What stamp would you like to leave on the industry:

I’ve seen many young bartenders in this industry just wanting to be the bartender after having finished a bartending course from college, but they don’t even know how to cut a lime into wedges or how to get the right balance of lime. So bartenders, please don’t try to run before you know how to walk.

Can you explain your personal process for creating a cocktail:

“First, I think about flavors, I will try to combine flavors together in different ratios and after that I think about the base spirit. Normally I use this process to create drinks to put in a menu. If I join a competition I will think about the story first, and then I will find ingredients to link it with a cocktail story and complete it. However as the saying goes, “Man proposes, God disposes”, and sometimes an idea really does grow on trees and all I need to do is use it.”

What is the most important part of what you do and what does it mean to you:

When I do something I always think about purpose: why I have to do it, what makes me want to do it. If I have a purpose for what I do, I know that I will go the right way.

What do you think will be the future of the F&B industry:

I think they’re going to go back to classics because only classics survive, trending is just for the moment. More than that, I think people are going to focus on saving the environment and saving the earth by reducing trash and plastic byproducts.

Anything that would you like to add?

I just want to say thank you for inviting me to share my personal opinions and ideas about F&B industry.

Most bizarre client request:

One time, an overseas Vietnamese customer came to the bar and ordered a Negroni. After he tasted his drink, he asked me why it does not have a sour taste and told me that normally he has been served Negronis with a sour taste. He insisted on making him a Negroni with the taste he was used to, so I made him a Negroni Sour instead.