enya FASHION QUEEN

EDITOR Angel Huang｜TRANSLATOR Aurora Lin｜PHOTOGRAPHER Wade Wu

從15歲踏進餐飲業，到獨自前往澳洲打工度假，第一次站上吧台接觸調酒；返台後回到高雄從基礎做起，再毅然北上，重新從基層磨練，直到2022年創立 Bar Pine 松。Ariel 的人生，看似一路轉彎，卻也正因為一次次勇敢「重新開始」，逐漸走出屬於自己的方向。如今的她，不只是 Bar Pine 松的主理人，更試圖透過一杯酒、一個空間，重新說起那些屬於台灣的生活與記憶。對 Ariel 而言，酒吧從來不只是喝酒的地方，而是一個可以承載文化、故事與人與人之間交流的場域。

Flavour Drawn from Life and Memory

Interview | Ariel Hou, Founder of Bar Pine

Ariel began working in food and beverage at fifteen. She later travelled alone to Australia on a working holiday, where she first found herself behind a bar, mixing drinks. Back in Taiwan, she returned to Kaohsiung to learn the fundamentals, then moved to Taipei to work her way up again, eventually opening Bar Pine 松 in 2022. Her path has taken many turns, but each decision to start over has brought her closer to finding her own direction. Today, as the founder of Bar Pine 松, she uses cocktails and the space around them to tell stories of everyday life and memory in Taiwan. For Ariel, a bar is more than a place to drink. It is somewhere people can share stories, connect with one another and experience culture.

重新開始，找到真正想走的路

學生時期，Ariel 曾因家人的期待選擇學習護理，但很快便發現那並不是自己真正想走的路。15歲開始進入餐飲業打工，反而讓她逐漸發現自己對餐飲、人與人之間的交流，以及服務這件事產生了濃厚興趣。

從小學習英文的她，一直對國外生活抱有憧憬。於是，她獨自前往澳洲打工度假，也在一次偶然的機會裡，第一次站上中式餐廳的吧台，接觸到調酒。當自己親手調出的酒被客人喝下，並得到直接而正面的回應，那份即時的交流與成就感，讓 Ariel 第一次確定：這或許就是自己真正想做的事。

返台後，她回到高雄自學調酒、進入餐酒館工作。一次北上參加比賽的經驗，讓她開始接觸台北的調酒圈，也看見不同於過去的專業視野。她同時也意識到，自己還有很大的成長空間。於是，她再次選擇離開熟悉的環境。

放下在高雄累積的經驗與資歷，北上從基層重新學起。對 Ariel 而言，「重新開始」從來不是退步，而是讓自己重新累積實力、打開視野的方式。也正是在一次又一次的磨練之中，她逐漸確立了心中的藍圖——有一天，要開一間真正屬於自己的酒吧。

Starting Over Finding Her Own Way

As a student, Ariel chose to study nursing to meet her family’s expectations, but soon realised it was not the path she wanted to follow. Working part-time in food and beverage from the age of fifteen, she discovered a growing interest in the industry, in connecting with people and in looking after guests.

Having studied English since childhood, she had long been drawn to the idea of living abroad. She set off alone for a working holiday in Australia, where a chance opportunity put her behind the bar at a Chinese restaurant and introduced her to cocktail-making. Watching guests taste a drink she had made and respond with immediate enthusiasm gave her a sense of connection and achievement. For the first time, Ariel felt that this might be what she really wanted to do.

After returning to Taiwan, she went home to Kaohsiung, taught herself to make cocktails and took a job at a bistro. A trip north for a competition introduced her to Taipei’s bartending community and gave her a broader view of the profession. It also made her aware of how much she still had to learn. Once again, she chose to leave familiar surroundings.

Setting aside the experience and standing she had gained in Kaohsiung, she moved to Taipei and started again at the bottom. Ariel saw starting over as a way to build her skills and broaden her perspective, rather than a step backwards. Through the challenges that followed, an ambition gradually took shape: one day, she would open a bar of her own.

酒吧核心，不只是酒而是「體驗」

2022年，Bar Pine 松成立。不同於單純以酒款為核心的酒吧，Ariel 與合夥人 Ian 更像是在「策展」一個空間。他們與不同創作者、設計師合作，將生活、記憶與台灣元素放進空間裡，讓酒吧從一杯調酒開始，延伸成完整的感官體驗。Ariel 認為，酒吧並不是生活中的必需品，因此更應該思考一件事：客人為什麼願意走進來？又為什麼願意再次回來？答案，往往藏在那些不容易被注意到的細節裡。

身為女性主理人，她特別留意女性客人的需求，在洗手間準備衛生棉、漱口水、牙線等備品；團隊也被要求隨時觀察客人的狀態，當聽見有人咳嗽或打噴嚏時，主動送上熱水與毛毯。這些看似微小的舉動，其實都來自 Ariel 最直接的換位思考：「如果今天我是客人，我希望自己被怎麼對待？」於是，這份答案也成為 Bar Pine 松的服務標準。

酒的風味當然重要，但在 Ariel 心中，一間真正好的酒吧，還應該讓人感受到被理解、被照顧。從空間、服務到人與人的互動，每一個細節，最後共同完成一場體驗。「風味源自於生活與記憶。」這句話，是 Bar Pine 松一路走來的創作核心。菜市場、夜市、玉蘭花，甚至是街頭熟悉的「小綠人」：這些我們每天都可能經過、甚至早已習以為常的事物，在 Ariel 眼中，都有值得被重新觀看的故事。

來到第九季菜單，她依然從生活裡尋找靈感，從食材、香氣與味覺出發，探索台灣的飲食文化與地方記憶，再將這些元素轉化成一杯杯屬於 Bar Pine 松的調酒。而她想傳遞的，也不只是「讓外國人認識台灣」。更重要的是，讓台灣人重新看見自己熟悉的生活。那些我們每天經過的街景、熟悉的味道、從小到大的生活記憶，也許正因為太過日常，反而很少被真正留意。Ariel 想做的，是把這些被忽略的細節重新放大，讓它們透過一杯酒，被重新理解、重新感受。

At the Heart of the Bar Is the Experience

Bar Pine 松 opened in 2022. Rather than building everything around the drinks alone, Ariel and her business partner, Ian, approached the space almost as curators. Working with different creatives and designers, they brought everyday life, memories and elements of Taiwan into the bar, developing an experience that begins with a cocktail and engages all the senses. A bar, Ariel points out, is not a necessity. That makes two questions particularly important: Why would someone choose to come in? And why would they choose to return? The answers often lie in details that are easily overlooked.

As a woman running a bar, she pays particular attention to the needs of female guests, stocking the washroom with sanitary pads, mouthwash and dental floss. Staff are also asked to stay attentive to how guests are feeling. If someone coughs or sneezes, they offer hot water and a blanket. These small gestures come from a straightforward question Ariel asks herself: “If I were the guest, how would I want to be treated?” Her answer has become the standard of service at Bar Pine 松.

The flavour of a drink matters, of course. But for Ariel, a truly good bar should also make people feel understood and cared for. The space, the service and the interactions between people all contribute to the experience. “Flavour is drawn from life and memory.” This belief has guided the creative work at Bar Pine 松 from the beginning. Traditional markets, night markets, magnolia blossoms, even the familiar “little green man” at pedestrian crossings: Ariel sees stories worth revisiting in things we pass every day, often without a second thought.

Now working on the ninth edition of the bar’s menu, she continues to find inspiration in everyday life. Beginning with ingredients, aromas and tastes, she explores Taiwan’s food culture and local memories, turning them into cocktails distinctive to Bar Pine 松. Her aim goes beyond introducing Taiwan to visitors from abroad. More important to her is encouraging Taiwanese guests to look afresh at the lives they know. The streets we walk each day, familiar flavours and memories of growing up can be so much a part of our routine that we rarely stop to notice them. Ariel wants to bring these overlooked details into focus, allowing people to understand and experience them anew through a drink.

職人與經營，尋找兩者的平衡

一路從吧台走到主理人的位置，Ariel 也逐漸面對另一個課題——如何在「職人」與「商人」之間找到平衡。對風味的敏感、對調酒的熱情，是她最初踏入這個產業的原因；而當酒吧成為一門事業，經營、團隊、服務與商業思維，同樣成為不可忽略的一部分。她仍然希望保有一個職人的初心，卻也必須學習成為一名經營者。

或許，這也是 Bar Pine 松一路走來最有意思的地方。它不只是 Ariel 個人風格的延伸，更像是一個持續成長中的場域——把台灣的生活、味道與記憶放進酒杯，也把人與人之間的溫度留在空間裡。

從生活出發，從記憶取材。一杯酒，或許只是短暫停留在舌尖的風味；但當它承載了一段故事、一個地方，甚至一個人的人生，那份味道，就有了被記住的理由。

Finding a Balance Between Craft and Business

As Ariel has moved from working behind the bar to running one, she has encountered another challenge: finding a balance between craft and business. Her sensitivity to flavour and enthusiasm for making cocktails first drew her into the industry. Once the bar became a business, management, the team, service and a business mindset also became essential parts of her work. She still wants to preserve the commitment to her craft that she began with, while learning what it takes to run a business.

Perhaps this is what makes the story of Bar Pine 松 so interesting. Beyond expressing Ariel’s personal style, it is a place that continues to grow, bringing Taiwan’s everyday life, flavours and memories into the glass while making room for the warmth of human connection.

Everyday life is the starting point; memory provides the material. A cocktail’s flavour may linger only briefly on the palate. But when it carries a story, a place, or even a person’s life story, that flavour becomes worth remembering.