Cocktail Bar Zest In Seoul Is Setting New Standards For Sustainable Mixology
A champion of sustainability, Zest, led by industry stalwarts Dohyung ‘Demie’ Kim, Sean Woo, Jisu Park and Noah Kwon, embodies what it means to enjoy drinks responsibly, where environment, community and people exist together in harmony.
31 July 2024
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Zest – Awarded The Best Bar in Seoul for Two Consecutive Years | Photo credit : Zest
Sustainability in the bar industry isn’t new, but to find an establishment that truly upholds the integrity of the movement, is far and few between. Setting a new benchmark for the industry is none other than Zest, recently crowned No. 2 on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024, as well as The Best Bar in Korea 2024. Beyond adopting a zero-waste approach when it comes to the ingredients they use, Zest ensures sustainability comes together in all aspects of their business.
Demie shared that one of the motivating factors to launch Zest back in 2020 was to offer an experience that didn’t exist in the industry. The founding team envisioned what Zest should embody – locality, minimalism, experimentation, seasonality and community, leading them to implement a slew of sustainable practices in their operations.
From the ingredients and spirits to glassware, uniforms and more, Zest partners with local farmers, artisans and micro-distilleries to source as much as it can locally.
Dohyung ‘Demie’ Kim, Sean Woo, Jisu Park and Noah Kwon | Photo credit : Zest
The team’s commitment and dedication to sustainability did not hinder their creative pursuits, in fact, it inspired them to innovate and think out of the box, resulting in unique and exceptional cocktails that have earned them numerous accolades including the Best Bar in Korea by Asia’s 50 Best Bars for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024), the No. 2 Bar in Asia and the No. 18 Bar in the world by World’s 50 Best Bars (2023) .
Less Is More
Crispy Walnut Custard | Photo: Chef Tam’s Seasons
One of the key things Demie and team decided early on was create their own carbonated beverages to combat plastic and aluminium waste.
“We make all our carbonated drinks like cola, tonic water, ginger beer and kombucha in-house, using our house soda system so we don’t produce any aluminium or plastic waste. Our sodas are also made using upcycled ingredients that would have been thrown away. One of our signature beverages which is a hit with our customers is the seasonal gin and tonic. Also known as Z&T, which represents ‘zero-waste’ tonic or the ‘zest tonic’, this drink is made entirely from scratch, from the house-made gin, distilled with seasonal fruits and botanicals that we handpick from our farm located nearby in Seoul, to the tonic water which we carbonate with our house soda system,” Demie shares.
The concise menu features a myriad of local ingredients, and nothing goes to waste like the Jeju Garibaldi, spotlighting speciality regional oranges and Gujwa village carrots. The cocktail utilises the juice of the fruit, while the peels are redistilled into Zest’s house gin. The leftover pulp is then transformed into a cordial or fermented to make a sauerkraut.
The honey used in several signature cocktails is from an urban farmer in Seoul called @urban.bees.seoul | Photo credit : Zest
People and Community Matter
Apart from serving up exceptional cocktails, Demie also firmly believes in investing and growing the team, offering an incentive programme that includes meal plan, travel support and overtime pay. Staff are also given opportunities to take part in industry events to broaden their knowledge and skills.
“We are heartened to be recognised by the industry for our efforts and are grateful for all the awards we’ve picked up over the past few years. But my goal is to really build up a solid and resilient team – the people here at Zest are like family to me and I would not have been able to achieve all these without them. Looking ahead, I hope to continue spreading the Korean drink culture to the rest of the world, and I would love to continue supporting my team by providing them with a great environment to grow and hone their skills. My greatest wish is that they will be presented with all the great opportunities that I had,” Demie says.
It is no surprise that Demie was named the winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2024 – a peer-voted award where the industry came together to recognise his contribution to Asia’s bar landscape.
Photos Credit: Zest
Author: Michelle Yee
A content and communications professional, Michelle spent more than a decade creating content for several leading media titles including Lonely Planet Asia, Yahoo Singapore, and Wine & Dine. After leaving the media industry in 2019, she has been honing her craft at a global communications agency where she helps develop and drive publicity campaigns for brands in the consumer and corporate sectors.
