Top Korean bartenders show their skills in Bangkok for Asia's 50 Best Bars

Food & Travel

Published: 05 May. 2022, 16:25 Updated: 05 May. 2022, 17:28

Top Korean bartenders show their skills in Bangkok for Asia's 50 Best Bars

The inside of BKK Social Club in Bangkok, which is was ranked No. 10 on the newly released Asia's 50 Best Bars list in April [ASIA'S 50 BEST BARS]

BANGKOK, Thailand — Cocktail in hand, swaying to the music at a bar as the day draws to a close: This is what bargoers in Korea have been waiting for, and what they finally got back after almost two years of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

And while many bartenders won't have to go far to celebrate the return to normalcy, some bartenders in Korea took the stage in Bangkok to show off their techniques and unique ingredients like omija, berries indigenous to Korea, and to once again finally offer some bar-side entertainment.

The Korean bar scene is getting ready to take on cocktail lovers from all around the world, as five Korean bars were named among Asia’s 50 Best Bars at the awards ceremony on April 28 in Bangkok. The annual list of best bars in Asia, voted on by industry professionals, is released by the Britain-based media company William Reed. Singapore has 11 bars in the top 50 list, and Hong Kong got eight with its bar Coa taking the top spot for the second consecutive year. Japan got four spots.

Prior to the release of this year's Asia's 50 Best Bars list, bartenders from all across Asia gathered together to mingle at BKK Social Club in Bangkok. [ASIA'S 50 BEST BARS]

Charles H at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul got the highest rank among Korean bars, landing in seventh place, and followed by Bar Cham (No. 28), Le Chamber (No. 39), Alice (No. 40) and Zest (No. 48).

Zest, founded by former members of Alice and which focuses on zero waste when making cocktails, entered the top 50 list for the first time.

Charles H’s head bartender Keith Motsi was named a winner of the Bartender’s Bartender Award, chosen by fellow bartenders.

More Korean bars are included when the list is expanded to 100: Soko (No. 57), Pine & Co (No. 59), Mixology Bar (No. 83) and Southside Parlor (No. 90).

“I always say, if one place gets recognition in Korea, we’re all going to get recognition,” said Motsi. “We want to be the bar that Koreans are proud of. I’m an ambassador for hospitality every day, so I make sure I’m the best representative.”

Bartender Keith Motsi of Charles H in central Seoul wins Bartender's Bartender award. [ASIA'S 50 BEST BARS]

In line with the reopening of borders for leisurely travel, the award ceremony for Asia’s 50 Best Bars got the party started by inviting bartenders and bargoers from across Asia to Bangkok and saying goodbye to the days of airing the ceremony online. Invited bars would each go to a different bar in Bangkok to serve up their best drinks.

“We could not be happier that Asia’s 50 Best Bars returns to a live event format this year and that the community can experience much-needed connection and conviviality once again,” said Mark Sansom, content director for Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

Many of the bars listed traveled with their entire team, instead of just one bartender, to create more room for communication and future collaborations.

“Asia’s bars have shown remarkable resilience and growth in spirt of the challenges of the past two years, and we continue to be proud to celebrate the talent and creativity on display in bars all across Asia.”

Bartenders from Le Chamber in southern Seoul, left, and from Alice in southern Seoul pose for a photo prior to the award ceremony for Asia's 50 Best Bars in Bangkok. [ASIA'S 50 BEST BARS]

Alice bartenders brought Korean drinks takju, a fermented rice drink similar to makgeolli, and an omija liquor, all made by Korean brewery Sulseam, to demonstrate how to mix traditional and modern Korean elements into one drink to offer something different, at Bangkok's bar Rabbit Hole. They also offered bites of Korean street food like tteokbokki, spicy rice cakes, to accompany their drinks.

“Since this is an international event we are throwing for the first time in ages, we wanted to bring something that was limited to those in Korea to Bangkok,” said Terry Kim, owner bartender of Alice, adding that he wanted to show more of what Korea has, rather than what Alice has, for those thinking of visiting Korea.

During the pandemic, due to fierce competition among Korean distilleries and breweries to entice local drinkers, the quality of Korean drinks went up in general, Kim explained. Drink producers also focused more on making their bottles modern and eye-catching as they consider going global, on top of efforts to make the taste more approachable yet different.

“Guests keep on looking for something new, and something that makes them feel part of the community, and getting to know more about Korean drinks is considered as one way to be part of the Korean community,” said Kim. Some guests showed interest in importing such Korean drinks to Thailand during the event.

Le Chamber offered its drinks at one of Bangkok’s newest bars, Opium Bar, and Soko did so at The Bar at The House of Sathorn. They focused more on presenting their own unique style of cocktail-making to the bargoers in Bangkok. Zest was at Mahaniyon Cocktail Bar and Bar Cham was at Firefly.

“You have to get your body moving and experience things in person to be able to reach to the level you dream of,” said Son Suk-ho, owner bartender at Soko.

Some of the cocktails served at Asia's 50 Best Bars events in Bangkok. [ASIA'S 50 BEST BARS]

Just being in the foreign city, clinking glasses together, seems to bring a lot of inspiration, said bartender and co-owner of Le Chamber, JJ Lim. Since Opium Bar also takes a speakeasy concept just like Le Chamber, Lim and fellow co-owner Louis Eom wanted to bring its signature drink that comes in a box, but with a little tropical twist.

“Just like a DJ’s music makes people get upbeat at concert, guest bartending is where cocktails lead the festivity,” said Lim. “The feeling of being stagnant during the past few years seems to be lifted as I’m motivated to do more now after talking to rising bartenders from all across Asia.”

Bartenders forging the way for the bar scene in Seoul continue going strong in their field and spreading their knowledge. General manager at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, Lubosh Barta, formerly a general manager at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul when it first opened, has put his hotel’s bar, The BKK Social Club, at No. 1 in Thailand and at No. 10 on the newly released list. The recognition comes just a few years after the hotel opened in 2020, when travel was limited. His bar experience during his time in Korea contributed to his ideas of what the new bar in Bangkok should have.

“Ultimately, we created a strong positioning of [Charles H] as a core element for both hotel and city guests’ experiences, and those have become instrumental for us in positioning and setting up the operation of BKK Social Club,” said Barta.

“Traditionally, when people were on vacation to a city, they would explore what restaurants there are to visit. Equally today, they explore what trendy bars the city has to offer and they make [going to a new bar] part of their cultural experience, and bar hopping around the city has become a more popular activity for international travelers.”

Bartenders of bars ranked on the Asia's 50 Best Bars list pose together for a photo in Bangkok after the award ceremony on April 28. [ASIA'S 50 BEST BARS]

Lorenzo Antinori, formerly a head bartender at Charles H, now leads Hong Kong’s Argo, one of Hong Kong's hottest spots to visit since last year. The bar entered the list for the first time this year, landing high at No. 3. Besides the drinks he offers guests at a bar decorated with a large pillar covered with a variety of bottles of alcohol, he also works to break the prejudice that bargoers struggle to keep a healthy lifestyle. He shares how bartenders like himself can keep a balance of drinks and a healthy diet so that guests can have a more sustainable nightlife experience.

BYLEESUN-MIN[summerlee@joongang.co.kr]