The Minds Behind Spirit & Seoul
Joe Arakawa and Jennifer Yim are celebrating Korean culture with every drink.
Bartenders Joe Arakawa and Jennifer Yim knew each other from around town, but it wasn't until they got to chatting that they realized they had a common goal: to share Korean flavors and culture through cocktails.
Arakawa, who runs the beverage program for EDO Hospitality, was working service when Yim, the lead bartender at The Cosmopolitan, came in for a drink. They both came from hospitality backgrounds. "My parents owned a Korean barbecue restaurant," says Yim. "Joe's mom had a Korean take-out restaurant. So, we were like why not collaborate?" That desire snowballed into the duo establishing an LLC in 2024 and launching their pop-up, Spirit & Seoul, soon after.
Arakawa, inspired by bars like Double Chicken Please in New York City, was eager to incorporate more distinctive cultural and culinary elements into his cocktails. Along with Yim, he wanted to "showcase Korean culture and food—beyond karaoke, soju, and BTS," says Arakawa. "We wanted to bring Korean culture to the forefront, not just the kitschy things."
After the success of their first pop-up in 2024, Arakawa and Yim started hosting events just about every month in cities throughout the country. From bars in New York and Boston to a successful stint at Bar Tonique in New Orleans, Louisiana during Tales of the Cocktail, the duo has dialed in their concept and learned to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Arakawa and Yim typically think seasonally when ideating cocktails, and rotate their menu accordingly. "Our creative approach focuses on the seasonality of Korean fruits, vegetables, teas, and dishes," says Yim. "In terms of technique, we often incorporate clarification, force-carbonation, nitro-charging, and switching." They collaborate with venues and partners, coordinating support such as travel expenses and stipends, being sure to align each activation with Spirit & Seoul's concept.
Some of their most popular cocktails effectively synthesize nostalgia, flavor, and technique. Their strawberry-miso soda—which is similar to the Ball So Hard, a cocktail Arakawa put on the menu at Anima by EDO—is built on a clarified Korean miso water that is force-carbonated for service. They've also used kimchi consommé as a chaser to chilled shots and cocktails built to resemble Korean corn cheese (now a staple).
Both Arakawa and Yim still work full-time jobs and have become more selective with when and where to host their pop-ups. The real focus for the two of them is to "ultimately hope to travel the world sharing our story through our cocktails," says Yim. "That's the biggest part. I would love to expand this and travel the world and share our vision."
The hope is to one day take Spirit & Seoul straight to Korea. "Korean drinking culture is still a little more traditional," Yim points out. "They still prefer soju and beer. Cocktails were more, culturally, for the upper class. So, I hope to pop-up in Korea as well."
Their advice for people looking to create their own pop-up is simple: "Don't hesitate. Don't doubt it. Just jump in," says Yim. "It is easier said than done, but if you have an idea, reach out to venues and brands, show that initiative and sell yourself, and show how this could be beneficial to the industry."
