The stakes were high when JW Marriott Seoul Bar Rouge captain Andy Seo took the stage Monday night for the final round of Diageo Reserve’s World Class Korea competition.

Not only was Seo looking for the chance to compete in what is often referred to as the Olympics of bartending ― Diageo Reserve’s Global Final ― the 39-year old veteran was trying to best his own personal record.

Ever since Diageo Reserve held the first World Class competition in 2009, Seo has been going for national-level gold and the opportunity to compete on the global stage.

In 2009, he nabbed fifth, in 2010, he jumped up to third and last year he went home with silver.

One can only imagine the enormous amount of pressure Seo must have felt this year to take home that trip to Brazil to compete at Diageo Reserve’s 2012 Global Final.

“There was a point in time when I briefly considered throwing in the towel if I didn’t win this year,” Seo admitted.

Having past experience in the competition, Seo said he focused on taming his nerves this time around, explaining how executing one’s craft in front of a huge crowd can throw even the best bartender off his game.

“One cannot afford to be nervous,” he said.

With alacrity and finesse, Seo whipped out the required B-52, Manhattan, Cosmopolitan, classic Mojito and Negroni within the prescribed five minutes of the final speed challenge. Up against him was fellow Bar Rouge colleague Kim Yong-joo.

The crowds cheered the contestants on. The judges watched every move. Then Diageo Korea president and CEO Kim Jong-woo announced this year’s winner ― Andy Seo. 

“I was very touched,” said Seo. “I really suffered for four years.”

While creativity is always part-and-parcel of a bartender’s prowess in the field, Seo’s win demonstrated the importance of having a strategy and a clear-cut understanding of the spirits on hand as well.

For the final speed challenge, Seo focused on making less temperature-sensitive cocktails first, taking into consideration the time lag between when he put out each cocktail to when the judges would taste them.

During the Johnnie Walker Platinum Label Ritual Serve Challenge, Seo set a series of goals ― to go for a more masculine vibe, amplify the whisky’s fragrances, and drop the temperature ― and did everything accordingly.

“I put dry ice in a decanter, added the Johnnie Walker Platinum Label whisky and swirled it to get it cold and to amp up the whisky’s aromas,” he explained. “Then I served it on-the-rocks with a large cube of ice.”

The hard work, four years in the making, has finally paid off. Now Seo will be heading off to Rio de Janeiro for the global competition, which will run from July 8 to 12.

Over 50 bartenders are slated to participate in the event and it looks like a signature cocktail (where each contestant presents his own creation) might be part of the competition.

“I am considering using Korean ingredients,” Seo revealed.

With less than a month to go, Seo revealed that he will be going into training before flying off to Brazil to attempt to make history as the first Korean participant to win the Global Final.

By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)