“I grew up smelling the earthy scents of mugwort and bellflower in the mountains during my childhood. The blue weber agave, which is an ingredient of Don Julio, is also a plant that takes root deep in the ground. I put my respect for roots and the values of community into my highball.”Park Hee-man, a master seasonal bartender
On the afternoon of the 9th, the Diageo ‘World Class Korea Revive 2025’ finals were held at the Hanwha General Insurance headquarters in Hannam. The 10 bartenders participating in the finals took turns on stage to perform the competition tasks. Two missions were carried out simultaneously: the ‘Tequila Highball Mission,’ where they showcased creative cocktails using local ingredients and ‘Don Julio Blanco,’ and the ‘Singleton Cocktail Mission,’ where they introduced creative cocktails suitable for a party atmosphere using single malt whiskey ‘Singleton 15 Years.’ Contestants had to create both drinks within 10 minutes.
Park Hee-man, a bartender from Cham Je-chul, who was the second to take the exam among the 10, was selected as the winner that day. He showcased a cocktail named ‘Common Ground,’ which utilized Korean ingredients and expressed the wild foraging culture of Canada, where the finals will be held in September. He used Don Julio Blanco along with tonic water infused with mugwort, bellflower, rhubarb from Canada, and mushrooms.
After calling the judges to the stage, he drew attention for allowing them to examine and smell the ingredients himself. Bartender Park said, “When we process and refine raw materials into drinks, we often forget the essence of the ingredients. I wanted to convey the meaning of not forgetting what the texture and aroma once were.”
The World Class Korea competition held the day before had two preliminary rounds since March. Participants not only honed their bartending skills but also developed signature cocktails that reflected their abilities and personalities, preparing for months to create concepts and stories that would make them stand out.
The 10 finalists included Bartender Park, along with Kim Hee-seon (Bar Cham), Jo Young-jun (Villa Record), Kim Seo-yoon (T&P Proof), Park Sung-gon (Permata Seoul), Park Se-jun (Bar Space), Sung Jun-ho (Alice Cheongdam), Song Moon-geun (Natural 8 Dragon City), Yook Soo-bin (Bar Pier), and Choi Ji-woo (Gisuk). The judges included past winners of World Class Korea and Kaneko Michito, the World Class Global 2015 Champion.
As the final winner, Bartender Park will represent Korea in the Global World Class competition in September, competing fiercely against the world’s top bartenders. The Global World Class is the world's largest bartending competition celebrating its 16th year this year, with over 10,000 bartenders from more than 60 countries participating.
The bartenders who took the stage the day before creatively utilized Korean ingredients. Kim Hee-seon, a bartender from Bar Cham, used soybean paste powder in his highball. He explained, “Soybean paste brings together family and neighbors, serving as the foundation of our lives,” adding that “although soybean paste is made in various parts of the country, the climate and culture differ, leading to unique consumption methods in each region. In Itaewon, where I live, it is being variously mixed on foreign tables.”
Jo Young-jun, a bartender from Villa Record, utilized a concentrated extract of ginger marinated in a rice cooker. He explained, “I marinated Gangwon-do ginger in a pressure cooker for 17 days to express the peppery flavor of Don Julio Blanco,” emphasizing that it was not only about using “local ingredients” but also incorporating the traditional Korean “local technique” of steaming or cooking rice and grains in a pot.
The event was attended by 200 general spectators, excluding officials. The pre-registration was conducted for adults over the age of 19 through Naver. This event was the first ‘open competition,’ allowing the general public to directly observe the competition. The aim was to create an open stage where many consumers can have interest and enjoyment in the high-end drinking culture of ‘fine drinking’ and bartending culture.
To organize the open competition, Diageo Korea formed a spatial sponsorship partnership with Hanwha General Insurance. The HANWHA GENERAL INSURANCE headquarters in Hannam is a complex space that has consistently hosted cultural exhibitions and brand events, with the goal of further strengthening its identity and symbolism as a ‘cultural platform’ through this competition. The event also featured a range of programs, including a brand zone, restaurant collaboration space, DJ performances, in addition to the competition.