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MOD -- an Education in the Art of Drinking

By Mike Armstrong Translated by Zoe Teng

    " The place doesn't look open", I remarked to my friend. But we ventured through the door of MOD Public Bar anyway. I was wrong. Not only open, it was packed! There was no room for us at the bar, which sat 20 or so people, nor at a table.

    "We were greeted in a friendly manner, and asked to wait in an area that was sort of a spillover. So I sat down and watched the bartenders perform. I'm not talking about flipping bottles or anything like that, although they do shake their cocktails for everyone to see, but it was the deliberate way they served up scotch on the rocks that caught my eye. A large cube of ice was plopped into the glass and a carefully measured shot was poured on top. Usually I hate to see that old shot glass, but because the bartender was so careful in his actions, it too became part of the show. He slowly turned the ice until the scotch rose smoothly to the top. Very impressive. The crowd seemed to agree as so much scotch was ordered.

    "There is plenty to choose from, seventy-eight brands in all ranging age and quality. McCallans is the best seller starting at around NT$250. Shawn Pan, the manager, explained that MOD was five years old and that the art of serving scotch came from Tokyo. When I asked what made the MOD so successful he quickly replied, "Consistency! Give everyone the same experience." A look around the place confirmed that statement. We finally made our way up to the bar and I tried a few new scotches myself that night. MOD is not only a cool spot, it's an education in the art of drinking. Walk on in and start paying your tuition, if you can get a seat that is. It's definitely worth the wait.