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Groove Korea: How is Prost Pub & Grill different from oth- ers? Lee Mi-young: There are a lot of classic bars opening these days, but I think Prost is on a different level. It does have a bar, but it is essentially a pub, so everyone — both the employees and custom- ers — can enjoy a freer, more relaxed environment that’s charac- teristic of a pub. I also think its antique interior design adds a lot of charm. Another one of Prost’s strengths is that, in addition to being the largest pub in Itaewon, you can also enjoy plates prepared by a former chef at a Michelin three-star restaurant. Prost has larger selections of shooter cocktails than any other pub in the area. Any particular reasons? When we realized that there are almost no bars that sell shooter cocktails professionally, we made a bar dedicated to shooters — mixing and selling dozens of kinds — that stands out from other bars and gives our customers a new, fun experience. The shooters that sell are mostly made by stacking ingredients one by one, mak- ing a charming visual that you can enjoy with your eyes first. They’re very popular with our younger customers. What type of clientele orders shooters? Shooters are visually very pretty, so female customers tend to or- der them a lot, and with Itaewon being Itaewon, they’re also popular among foreign customers. What do you like the most about being a bartender? It’s very special to create something and see someone’s satis- faction with what you made. This is a really big draw for bartending — making diverse cocktails that suit each customer’s preferences and personality — and I would say is the foremost charm of being a bartender. Another charm is that it’s a job where you can meet many different people and talk about a lot of different things; you can relive many experiences indirectly by listening to people’s stories, and you also learn to regard others’ happiness, which you contribute to through your service, as your own. What do you think are the most critical qualifcations for bartenders? First of all you, need a self-driven attitude. When you first start working at a bar there are a lot of things to learn, from a variety of jargon to the kinds of spirits, and there’s no one to teach these to you one by one, from start to end. It’s only through your own efforts and actively asking for help from people around you that you can really absorb everything from the experience. You should also have a caring mind. You would need an open, considerate attitude that can understand and accept others rather than judge them, be it a customer who shares a story you find hard to identify with or a colleague who works very differently than you do. Interview with Lee Mi-young, Prost Pub & Grill