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※ The actual region of the content is selected.From Yeoju and Damyang to Hamyang, and Jeju Island! Travel the four corners of Korea in one night of cocktails right here in Seoul's very own Bar Cham.
All you need to bring is a relaxed attitude to try delicious new cocktails. Master mixologist, Lim Byeong Jin, concocts esoteric cocktails that do justice to each of Korea’s distinct regions. His drink, Jeju, balances the citrus flavor of ripe tangerines with the umami of traditional Korean liquors derived from Solomon’s Seal, among other plants. Damyangen capsulates woodsy flavors and notes using bamboo leaf alcohol and plum liquor. Rice, which is a main ingredient of traditional Korean brews, has a distinct flavor that makes it difficult to harmonize with other cocktail ingredients - a challenge that Lim finds fascinating. Through continuous trial and error, he realized that mixing local ingredients that grew in each other’s vicinity ended up creating a harmonious final product.
A famous mixologist once said that ingredients share similar scents, or notes, if they come from the same terroir.
This was my jumping off point. There had to be a connection between the liquor and the local ingredients the liquor was made from.
The Yesan cocktail derives its name from a region that produces premium quality apples located in South Chungcheong Province. The cocktail consists of a rich, distilled apple liquor at forty percent alcohol, to which Lim adds domestically produced applecider, yeasty Neungiju whose scent recalls the Korean mountainside, mashed Korean spices like wormwood, and a syrup reduced with gentian and bell flower. In the beginning stages of experimentation, it was hard to get the color right. So these ingredientswere put through a washing process with soy milk, where acids then congeal and separate proteins and meld them into solid particles. Straining this resulted in a clear color. It’s fine to drink as is, however, Lim puts it through yet another process, washing, which is moving the mix from shaker to shaker to remove the creamy fat and lighten it. The subtle fermented fragrances are reminiscent of orange wine or vermouth.
“There are artisans who uphold our tradition. And my role is to showcase their product with taste and style. This is why I use porcelain cups and search for typically Korean flavors like Solomon’s Seal and mashed wormwood. Then I mix it all up. As a bartender with Korean roots, this is my way of enjoying my job to the utmost.”