Up close & personal: Juan Yi Jun, No Sleep Club
For the final instalment in our series, we spoke to Juan Yi Jun, owner and co-founder of No Sleep Club. Jun talks about the compromises that are necessary as you scale up your business, the experience of managing staff throughout the Covid-19 crisis, and developing her own skills as a leader since then, in order to stay close to her team
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The future is yours to create: So-yeon Kim (Alice)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 […]
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The future is yours to create: Phirun LekPhirun 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 […]
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Drink Like a Local: Macau with Frankie LeongExplore 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 […]
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The future is yours to create: Liu Yuan (Kim)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 […]
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The future is yours to create: Thanesh JoelThanesh 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 […]
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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 […]
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Up Close & Personal: Missy Flynn, Rita’sThe third interviewee of our video series is Missy Flynn, co-owner of Rita’s in London’s Soho. She lays bare the business’s early problems, the implications it has had on who she trusts, and the reality of running your own restaurant
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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 […]
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Up Close & Personal: Guoyi Gan and Indra Kantono, Jigger & Pony GroupThe 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
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The usual suspects: 5 people you should know if you want to open a barA bar is only as good as the team running it, but it’s equally important to set your business up for success. Monica Berg highlights some of the key players who’ve helped her over the years, and whom she’d be lost without 1. The lawyer Depending on where in the world you are, there are different […]
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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 […]
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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