Mia is a bartender at Uncle Ming’s in Sydney. She shows us two cocktails, one is japanese whisky based and the other one uses soshu and lemongrass syrup.
Mia introduce yourself
Hi I’m Mia, from South Korea and I’m a bartender at Uncle Ming’s in Sydney. I have been a bartender for six years now in Sydney. I began my career working behind the bar in a nightclub, but I decided I didn’t want to just wear nice dresses and make simple mixed drinks. I wanted to become a bartender who really knows their craft, so I started working in cocktail bars. There are not a lot of women in this industry, it’s a guys domain, so you have to be good. Firstly I trained myself and then I learnt a lot in the different bars I worked in. I like to be able to satisfy my clients with cocktails they enjoy.
The classic you want to show us
Old fashioned
60ml of japanese whisky
4 dashes of Orange bitter
A dash of soda
A cube of sugar
The bar or party you dream of
It would be a fusion bar inspired by a mix of asian and western styles. It would be classic and modern at the same time, both in style and ambiance.
I like a cute small bar not far from here, it’s similar to the one upstairs, which is a kind of whisky bar.
The spirit you like the most
I like gin because there are so many different flavours. It can be spicy or lemony… it’s an easy spirit to make something
really refreshing.
What makes a good cocktail and which product do you want to highlight at this moment
It’s a good cocktail when your customer tastes it and they compliment you. You create the garnish and they say how
beautiful it looks, then drink it and say it’s delicious. That makes me feel so good. I love to garnish my drinks with flowers, cherries, strawberries, mint or pineapple. In my opinion a cocktail has to be beautiful as well as taste good.
I love orange bitters. They are fruity and sweet at the same time compared to others bitters. They work perfectly in an old fashioned.
The signature cocktail you want to show us
Lemon soju
60ml of fresh lemon
90ml of japanese soshu
30ml of lemongrass syrup
10ml of lime
Top with sodas
Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender?
I like Tokio hotel, it’s not really a bar, it’s more of a night club, but there are many asians in there. The bar manager there is very good and a little bit crazy (like you need to be to be a bartender). I love him, his name is Lucky.