Yuk Su-bin, winner of the World Class Korea 2026 final, poses for a commemorative photo with the top 10 finalists. [Diageo Korea]
Yuk Su-bin, winner of the World Class Korea 2026 final, poses for a commemorative photo with the top 10 finalists. [Diageo Korea]

Diageo Korea said it held the World Class Korea 2026 final on June 13 at Rubik, a live music lounge bar inside Paradise City on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, with bartender Yuk Su-bin of Bar VIER claiming the top prize.

This year's competition ran under the theme "K-Bar Renaissance." Ten bartenders who advanced through two qualifying rounds — held since applications opened in March — competed on the final stage. The semifinal rounds featured two missions: crafting a martini dedicated to the judges using Tanqueray No. Ten as the base spirit, and creating a home cocktail with Don Julio using ingredients costing no more than 10,000 won (about $7) sourced from a convenience store. The five finalists who emerged from those rounds then competed in a grand final themed "Modern Juansang," a contemporary take on the traditional Korean drinking table.

In the Tanqueray mission, Yuk presented a martini built around native Korean ingredients — fernbrake, Sichuan pepper, pine needles and Korean mint leaves. For the Don Julio mission, he developed a recipe combining beef bone broth powder, black pepper, perilla leaves and wasabi soda to achieve a deep, layered flavor. In the Modern Juansang final, he used Johnnie Walker Black Label as the base and incorporated camellia tea cordial, Ganghwa Island turnip juice, apple distillate and charcoal oil to express a harmony of traditional Korean ingredients.

Yuk will represent South Korea at the World Class Global competition in Scotland in October. "It is an honor to win the very competition I first attended as a spectator back in 2013 — 13 years later," he said. "I will keep that beginner's spirit in mind as I present original cocktails on the world stage."

The event also expanded into a consumer-facing experience. Ago Perrone, mixology director at The Connaught hotel in London, served as a judge and delivered a masterclass. Collaborations with past World Class champions added further depth to the program. The event also featured a pairing ice cream dessert created with chef Kim Ho-yun of "Culinary Class Wars 2" fame, as well as a live performance by hip-hop artist Gray.

Now in its 17th year, Diageo World Class is the world's largest bartending competition, drawing more than 10,000 bartenders from over 60 countries annually.


andy@heraldcorp.com