Up Close & Personal: Guoyi Gan and Indra Kantono, Jigger & Pony Group
The second instalment of our new video series sees us talking to Guoyi Gan and Indra Kantono, co-founders of Jigger & Pony Group. They share their past management mishaps, why they don’t like rules, and always remembering that a bar is a business
More Articles
Article
The future is yours to create: Hiroyuki YamadaHiroyuki 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 […]
Article
The future is yours to create: Nguyễn Chung (Thomas)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 […]
Article
Drink Like a Local: Busan with Jo Minseok (JoJo)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 […]
Article
Before the First Sip: The Quiet Power of Touch in CocktailsThe 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 […]
Article
Designed to Be Seen: Visual Intention Behind the CocktailThe 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 […]
Article
The future is yours to create: Xing Ru "Cris" SongXing 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 […]
Discover More
Article
The future is yours to create: Josephine SondloFifth in our new series is Josephine Sondlo, founder of Sizwe Studios in Stockholm. She talks about her habit of repetition, how to be smarter working with brands, and why goal setting is important A little bit about me I was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, and while food and drinks have always been […]
Article
Jean Trinh talks human sustainability, community and being fearlessDuring the pandemic, Jean Trinh turned the role of a bar leader on its head. The founder of Alquímico explains why caring for a community drives everything he does in his business – and how it taught him not to fear anything Don’t get me wrong, I love Paris, where I’m from. But the thing […]
Article
The future is yours to create: Maite CabreraOur sixth bartender in our series is Chile’s Maite Cabrera. Currently travelling around Europe, Cabrera talks about constantly learning, why a fair wage matters, and having a legacy of making bartending fun A little bit about me I am 28 years old, I’m from Chile and I’ve always been interested in everything around food and beverages. […]
Article
Up close & personal: Edmund Weil & Roisin Stimpson, Speakeasy EntertainmentOur fourth instalment of this series sees us talking to Edmund Weil and Roisin Stimpson of London’s Nightjar, Oriole and Swift bars. They share their deep knowledge of owning multiple sites, making running their business work for their personal lives, and knowing their priorities
Article
Up Close & Personal: Sly AugustinIn the first of our new series, we talk to Sly Augustin, owner of London’s Trailer Happiness, about the ins and outs of running a bar business, how he deals with failure and setbacks, and what he wish he’d known before becoming a bar owner
Article
South Korea’s happiest bar owner on driving his local cocktail industryTerry Kim has built an empire of bar excellence in South Korea. He explains how happiness can inspire future generations as his local industry continues to grow – and how he ascended to the top of his game ‘Happiness’ is the word Terry Kim uses the most when talking about his career in hospitality. Approaching […]