Inspiration

So-yeon Kim, also known as Alice, is a bartender based in South Korea whose approach to hospitality is rooted in emotional awareness and quiet observation. Drawn to bartending through curiosity rather than convention, she sees cocktails as moments shaped by memory, mood, and human connection. As a Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 finalist for South […]

Phirun Lek is a lead bartender at SORA Phnom Penh, a venue that marked both the beginning and the foundation of his bartending career. Starting in hospitality through service roles before finding his place behind the bar, his journey reflects steady growth shaped by curiosity, practice, and people. With a mindset rooted in learning and […]

Explore Macau with Frankie Leong, to discover a compact city where Chinese and Portuguese cultures meet through layered histories, late-night rituals, comfort-driven food, and a quietly evolving cocktail scene. Macau is often described through contrast: a city shaped by centuries of exchange between East and West, where Chinese traditions and Portuguese heritage coexist in daily […]

Liu Yuan, also known as Kim, is a bartender at Wing Lei Bar in Macau whose journey into hospitality began with curiosity rather than convention. Drawn into the world of cocktails through a single, formative experience, she approaches bartending with a balance of discipline, creativity, and openness to discovery. As the first bartender from Macau […]

Thanesh Joel is a bartender whose relationship with hospitality is shaped less by ambition and more by curiosity. Based in Penang and deeply rooted at Backdoor Bodega, his work reflects a mindset driven by understanding, of flavour, systems, and human behaviour. As the Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 finalist for Malaysia, he approaches competition not […]

Hiroyuki Yamada is a bartender at Bee’s Knees in Kyoto, whose path into hospitality began quietly during his student years. What started as a part-time job at an izakaya became a long-term commitment to service, shaped by daily human interaction and cultural exchange. As the Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 finalist for Japan, he approaches […]

Nguyễn Chung, known to most as Thomas, is the Lead Bartender at The Haflington in Hanoi. His path into hospitality was unplanned, shaped by curiosity and steady commitment rather than long-held ambition. Today, as the Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 finalist for Vietnam, he approaches his craft with a quiet sense of responsibility, to his […]

Explore Busan with Jo Minseok (JoJo), to discover a city driven by passion and contrast, where ocean air, deeply rooted food culture, and a fast-evolving bar scene come together through the eyes of a local bartender determined to elevate his hometown. Set between mountains and sea, Busan moves at a rhythm unlike anywhere else in […]

The Five Senses of the Bar explores the bar experience through sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. In this chapter, the focus is on touch, often the most overlooked sense guests engage with. Long before a cocktail is judged on flavor or balance, it is felt, through temperature, weight, texture, and the physical signals that […]

The Five Senses of the Bar explores the bar experience through sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. In this chapter, the focus is on sight, often the most immediate sense guests engage with. Before a drink is tasted or explained, it is seen, its color, form, and presentation quietly shaping expectation from the moment it […]

Xing Ru “Cris” Song is a bartender at Pony Up in Shanghai, whose path into hospitality began not behind a bar, but on a music stage. Trained as a musician and shaped by years spent in post-punk bands, he approaches bartending with the same discipline, curiosity, and sense of composition that once guided his work […]

Dhananjai Subramaniam is a bartender from India whose journey into hospitality began long before he ever stepped behind a bar. With a background rooted in family, formal training, and hands-on service, his path reflects a steady, considered commitment to growth. Now representing India as a Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 finalist, Dhananjai approaches the craft […]