A longtime mixologist at a buzzy hibachi steakhouse wows regulars and newcomers alike

BY ERIK SCHONING • PHOTOS BY ALEX BARRETO

Every restaurant offers an experience, but when you choose hibachi, you’re signing up for theater as well. For the last 22 years, at Arirang Hibachi Steakhouse and Sushi Bar in Sayreville, Joyce Lin has been the star of the show.

For some, a career in mixology is planned; for others, it’s a serendipitous twist. Lin was in the latter camp. She first came to Arirang in 2004 as a server with a background in Chinese restaurants. An unexpected opportunity put her behind the bar for the first time in her life.

“I was serving for a month and a half, and they asked me if I would be interested in becoming a bartender,” Lin said. “I always wanted to learn, so I said yes.”

Over the last two decades, Lin has been a staple not only at the Sayreville restaurant, but at Arirang’s other locations as well, filling in when necessary. It’s a level of trust and responsibility that’s well-earned; aside from the Arirang head chef, who has been with the restaurant for over 30 years, Lin is one of the longest-tenured employees.

That experience shows in her drink-making. Lin knows the Arirang menu inside and out, from its extensive martini list to its line-up of exciting tiki-bar-inspired showstoppers like frozen margaritas, mai tais, and piña coladas. No matter the cocktail, it’s not uncommon for Joyce to be asked for by name.

“People request me to make drinks for them,” Lin said. “I usually only serve the people who sit in front of me at the main bar. Once they go to hibachi, we have another service bar for them. But a lot of times, once people move, they still ask for me.”

Hibachi is a culinary performance, and each of the drinks on the Arirang menu is designed to fit the experience, whether it’s a festive garnish, like the umbrella-topped skewers dunked into the piña coladas, the bold color of the Frozen Golden Margarita, or the all-inclusive vacation that is the Island Koko, packing gin, coconut juice, and cream into a ceramic coconut shell. (And yes, you get to take home the shell.)

Since tiki drinks stormed the American bar scene in the early 20th century, they’ve long been loved for their theatricality and fun. At Arirang, these cocktails have been part of the picture from the beginning, perfectly matched with a thrilling, head-turning menu.

The two most popular drinks on that menu, unsurprisingly, are two tiki classics: the Mai Tai and the Zombie. The Arirang take on the Zombie is a blend of rum, pineapple, and orange juice, joined by classic French almond-flavored liqueur, crème de noyaux, and topped with potent 151-proof rum to give it a real kick. The original Zombie was invented by tiki legend Donn Beach, who wanted a drink that would make its drinker feel “like the walking dead.”

The Mai Tai pares things back ever so slightly, serving up a refreshing blend of rum, pineapple, and orange juice. Both drinks capture the kind of alchemy only a great tiki cocktail can deliver: smooth, fruity, and satisfyingly strong.

On the other end of the cocktail spectrum are Arirang’s martinis, twists on that famously spare and simple of drinks. Takes like the Asian Pearl bring together berry vodka, lychee juice, and cold sake, and a host of other “tinis” pair fruit flavor and spirits in deceptively simple but glorious combinations.

The cocktail menu at Arirang has evolved over the years, but its spirit has remained the same, as the restaurant continues to be a gathering place for the community. For Lin, these relationships matter. They are, even more than drink-making, the true highlight of her work.

“I have customers that give me gifts over the holidays,” Lin said. “Some even make me holiday cookies. I see regulars that I know from when they were little, and now they bring their own kids. It’s so nice.”

For many, Lin is a familiar face in a familiar place. That’s priceless, and it’s one of the reasons she has become so integral to Arirang’s loyal community: whether she’s stirring tropical-inspired tiki drinks, shaking an ice-cold martini, or having a laugh with a regular, she’s been there for all of it.

THE ZOMBIE (Recipe)

1 oz rum
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz creme de noyaux
2 oz mixed pineapple and orange juice
1/2 oz 151 rum
Pineapple skewer (for garnish)

Mix rum, triple sec, creme de noyaux, and juices with ice. Pour into tall glass. Garnish with pineapple and serve.

Arirang Hibachi Steakhouse

23A Nelson Avenue / 718.521.5995
8812-14 4th Avenue, Brooklyn / 718.285.7532
986 Route 9 South, Sayreville, NJ / 732.709.2791
1230 Route 22 West, Mountainside, NJ / 908.663.8241
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