Juyoung Kang

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Juyoung Kang
Juyoung Kang - Stierch 2019.jpg
Juyoung Kang bartending at the Dorsey in 2019.
Born1979 (age 4445)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation Bartender

Juyoung Kang is an American bartender. Kang serves as the head bartender at The Dorsey at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States. Her work has been featured on KNPR [1] [2] and in The Atlantic , [3] GQ , [4] Food & Wine , [5] Men's Health , [6] Forbes [7] Las Vegas Weekly [8] and Eater . [9] Kang was named "Most Imaginative Bartender of the Year" by the United States Bartenders' Guild and Bombay Sapphire in 2014 and the following year, she was named the Nevada Restaurant Association's Bartender of the Year. [3] [10] She was named one of Wine Enthusiast's top "40 Under 40 Tastemakers" in 2017. [10]

Contents

Early life and career

Juyoung Kang was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [9] When she was 18-years-old, she answered a want ad and was hired as a banquet server. [3] [11] Eventually, she became a bartender at the restaurant after a bartender failed to show up for their shift to work during a wedding with 300 guests. [3]

To familiarize herself with different spirits, Kang would go to local liquor stores and make notes about the different beverages sold. Kang was in college at the time, with hopes of working in marketing or filmmaking. She also studied wine, with interest in becoming a sommelier. In a 2016 interview with The Atlantic, Kang described school and studying wine as boring, and decided, after a tasting of Johnnie Walker whiskey, to pursue a career in bartending. [3]

Career

When you're creating a beverage menu, it's not about you, your creativity, or how cool your drinks are. It's about the guests that are sitting at your table. – Juyoung Kang, 2016 [3]

Kang decided to relocate from Philadelphia to California, where she preferred the California bartending trends of using fresh fruit. "It wasn't just about Jack and Cokes," she said in a 2016 interview. [3] In Los Angeles, she bartended at The Peninsula Beverly Hills, followed by the Thompson Hotel. [9]

Eventually, she relocated to Las Vegas, where she worked at Comme Ça and Rose.Rabbit.Lie. at the Cosmopolitan. At Comme Ça, Kang was mentored by bartender Sam Ross. She left the Cosmopolitan and opened Park on Fremont and Commonwealth, both in Downtown Las Vegas. She returned to the Las Vegas Strip and worked at The Linq's BLVD Cocktail Co. [9]

Kang was lead bartender at Delmonico's Steakhouse at The Venetian from 2015 until 2017, taking over the bar from Max Solano. During her time at Delmonico's, Kang not only designed the seasonal cocktail menus, but also oversaw the restaurant's extensive whiskey selection. [9] While at Delmonico's, Kang was named the Nevada Restaurant Association's Bartender of the Year.

Eventually, Kang left Delmonico's to become head mixologist at the Dorsey, which opened in 2016, also at the Venetian. At the Dorsey, Kang oversees the bar's Dorsey Sessions program, which brings bartenders from popular bars around the world to serve as bartenders in residence. [8]

In 2018, Kang created a mint-based syrup for Cocktail Artist. [12]

Style and cocktails

Kang describes designing a cocktail menu as a "long process." She notes that in Philadelphia, her drinks were more "booze forward," while in California, the drinks are longer lasting and "more refreshing," with Las Vegas cocktail culture being a bit of both styles. [3]

Two of Kang's favorite types of drinks, and their variations, are a John Collins and Ramos Gin Fizz. [7] In 2014, Kang was named Most Imaginative Bartender of the Year by the United States Bartenders' Guild and Bombay Sapphire for her variation on a Ramos Gin Fizz, the Lacy Fizz, which used a syrup made with eight spices and was garnished with flowers. [3] [4]

Personal life

Three of Kang's favorite Las Vegas restaurants are Chada Thai, Raku and Izakaya Go. Kang's favorite bars include Other Mama, The Sand Dollar Lounge, District One Kitchen & Bar, Atomic Liquors, Bardot Brasserie, Herbs & Rye, the Vesper Bar, and the Laundry Room, the latter which she helped open. [5] [9] When Kang patronizes a bar, she asks the bartender to make whatever they want for her, preferring "a bit booze forward and bittersweet" cocktails. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bartender</span> Person behind the bar who serves (usually alcoholic) beverages

A bartender is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but also occasionally at private parties. Bartenders also usually maintain the supplies and inventory for the bar. As well as serving beer and wine, a bartender can generally also mix classic cocktails such as a Cosmopolitan, Manhattan, Old Fashioned, and Mojito.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buck's fizz</span> Cocktail of orange juice and champagne

Buck's fizz is an alcoholic cocktail made of about two parts sparkling wine, typically champagne, to one part orange juice. It is essentially the same as the mimosa; the International Bartenders Association considers the two drinks synonymous. Other sparkling wines may also be used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flair bartending</span> Performance art in bartending

Flair bartending is the practice of bartenders entertaining guests, clientele or audiences with the manipulation of bar tools and liquor bottles in tricky, dazzling ways. Used occasionally in cocktail bars, the action requires skills commonly associated with jugglers. It has become a sought-after talent among venue owners and marketers to help advertise a liquor product or the opening of a bar establishment. Competitions have been sponsored by liquor brands to attract flair bartenders, and some hospitality training companies hold courses to teach flair techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Rose (cocktail)</span> Cocktail of applejack, grenadine and citrus juice popular in the 1920s and 1930s

A Jack Rose is a cocktail containing applejack, grenadine, and lemon or lime juice. It was popular in the 1920s and 1930s, notably appearing in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 classic, The Sun Also Rises, in which Jake Barnes, the narrator, drinks a Jack Rose in the Crillon Paris hotel bar while awaiting the arrival of Lady Brett Ashley. It was also a favorite drink of author John Steinbeck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fizz (cocktail)</span> Type of carbonated alcoholic mixed drinks

A "fizz" is a mixed drink variation on the older sours family of cocktail. Its defining features are an acidic juice and carbonated water. It typically includes gin or rum as its alcoholic ingredient.

Colin Peter Field is a bartender and author who has been ranked as best bartender in the world by Forbes and Travel + Leisure magazines. He is the head bartender at the Hemingway Bar of the Hôtel Ritz Paris, voted Best of the Best Bar in the World by Virtuoso in Las Vegas in 2016, and has invented several drinks, such as the Picasso Martini, Highland Cream, Serendipity and Clean Dirty Martini. He is involved in the training of students for bartending in France and in Switzerland, and has authored the books The Cocktails of the Ritz Paris and Cocktails, A Simple Story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Charming</span>

Cheryl Charming is an American bar professional and published author of 16 books on cocktails and bartending. She currently works as the Bar Director at the Bourbon "O” Bar in New Orleans, Louisiana, and in 2014 was named the New Orleans Magazine Mixologist of the Year. She is nationally known for her bartending and books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ada Coleman</span> English bartender

Ada Coleman (1875–1966) was head bartender at the Savoy Hotel in London for 23 years, one of only two women to have held that position. While working at the Savoy, she invented the "hanky panky", a distinctive variation on the sweet martini cocktail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speed Rack</span> American speed bartending competition

Speed Rack is a speed bartending competition for women in the United States that was cofounded by bartenders Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero. In 2011, Mix approached Marrero, who was the president of the New York City chapter of LUPEC, about creating a competition to showcase talented women in the craft cocktail world. The competition raises funds for Breast Cancer education, prevention and research, while promoting women bartenders in an largely male promoted industry.

Lynnette Marrero is an American bartender, mixologist, and philanthropist known for creating the world's first all-female speed bartending competition, "Speed Rack." She is widely regarded as one of the pioneer female cocktail-specific bartenders in the industry, and is based in New York City.

Eryn Reece is an American bartender. She is the bar director for Banzabar and Freemans Restaurant, both in New York City. In 2013, Reece was named Speed Rack National Champion. In 2014, The Daily Meal named her one of the top 25 bartenders in the United States. Reece has been profiled in, and her work featured in, PUNCH, The Daily Beast, Maxim, WPIX, The Spirits Business, Thrillist, and other media outlets.

Monica Berg is a Norwegian bartender, liquor company owner, and digital innovator in London. She is originally from Norway. She received the Linie Honorary Award for her contributions to Norwegian food and drink culture in 2015 and in 2019 received the Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award at The World's 50 Best Bars, making her the first woman to be given the award.

The Black Sheep is a Vietnamese-American restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2017, the Black Sheep was named restaurant of the year by Eater Las Vegas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donnie Vegas</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Donnie Vegas is a dive bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Opened by chef Benjamin Artaiz and bartender Jeremy Wilson in 2015, Donnie Vegas specializes in hot dogs and cocktails.

Natasha David is a German-born American bartender, mixologist, and author. In 2014, David opened the critically acclaimed cocktail bar Nitecap on New York's Lower East Side. David has also competed on Iron Chef America. In 2022, David authored the cocktail recipe book Drink Lightly. Her cocktail recipes have been featured in many publications and books, such as New York Times, Bon Appetit, and The Essential Cocktail Book. David has also been awarded as Zagat's 30 under 30, Eater's Bartender of the Year, StarChef's Rising Star, and Imbibe Bartender of the Year. Her consultancy company You & Me Cocktail is responsible for notable projects such as Paul Sevigny’s Baby Grand and the revamp of Pravda‘s cocktail program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zig Zag Café</span> Cocktail bar in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Zig Zag Café is a craft cocktail bar and restaurant in Seattle, Washington. Established in 1999, the bar is considered one of the best in the United States, helping lead the craft cocktail movement. From 2002 to 2011, noted bartender Murray Stenson worked at Zig Zag Café, and created innovative cocktails as well as reintroduced the pre-Prohibition-era Last Word cocktail to the public and to bars around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craft cocktail movement</span> Social movement

The craft cocktail movement is a social movement spurred by the cocktail renaissance, a period of time in the 21st century characterized by a revival and re-prioritization of traditional recipes and methods in the bar industry, especially in the United States. The renaissance spanned from the early 2000s into the late 2010s. A stricter range is 2004 to 2017: by 2017, high-quality ingredients, techniques, and liquors began to be ubiquitous in bars across the United States, leading writers to declare the renaissance over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffanie Barriere</span> Master Mixologist

Tiffanie Barriere is a master mixologist and spirits educator, who is also known by her nickname - “The Drinking Coach.” She was the beverage director for seven years at One Flew South restaurant in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, which was voted the Best Airport Bar in the World in 2014 by Tales of the Cocktail and nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award under her leadership.

References

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  2. Totten, Kristy. "Even In Las Vegas, The 'Sober-Curious' Movement Grows". Nevada Public Radio. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Green, Adrienne (14 October 2016). "What a Bartender Wants to Drink". The Atlantic. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 "United States Bartenders' Guild Awards Las Vegas' Juyoung Kang a Chance at the Title of "Nation's Most Imaginative Bartender"". Vegas News. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  5. 1 2 Jones, Carey (23 September 2004). "Where To Drink Off the Strip in Las Vegas". Food & Wine. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  6. Risher, Brittany (21 December 2018). "Why After-Dinner Drinks Are What You Really Should Be Sipping This Holiday Season". Men's Health. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  7. 1 2 Forbes, Paula (24 June 2018). "The Drinks Bartenders Serve When It's Way Too Hot Out". GQ. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  8. 1 2 Ventura, Leslie. "The Dorsey Sessions bring cocktails and expertise to the Venetian - Las Vegas Weekly". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stapleton, Susan (22 March 2016). "Juyoung Kang Shares Three of Her Favorite Bars in Las Vegas". Eater Vegas. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  10. 1 2 "Juyoung Kang". Wine Enthusiast. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  11. Radke, Brock. "Meet the people who make your Vegas night out - Las Vegas Weekly". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  12. "Cocktail Artist Launches Mixologist-Crafted Cocktail Mixes and Bar Ingredients". BevNET. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2019.