Jan Jurecka

Head Bartender

Growing up in a small village surrounded by nature and wildlife in northern Slovakia, Jan Jurecka’s bartending journey started when he joined a cocktail club in high school. He quickly developed an appreciation for the craft and started learning the basics of mixing drinks and pairing flavours, but what inspired him most was sourcing the freshest ingredients in his family’s fruit and vegetable garden, and foraging for wild mushrooms and herbs in the surrounding forest.

Jan decided to formalise his studies and moved to Prague, Czech Republic, where he completed a Bachelor Degree in Hospitality Management and explored the historic city’s buzzing bar scene. He landed a job in a small bar in the city centre of Prague where he curated his first cocktail menu, and during his spare time joined bartending competitions.                       

His ambition and sense of adventure had him eyeing Asia-Pacific, and he moved to Sydney, Australia, then Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands where he was head bartender at Wolfgang Puck’s CUT before joining Capella Hotel Singapore in 2018. While taking some time out for himself, he travelled to Bali’s hidden gem – the tiny island of Nusa Ceningan just off Lembongan – where he became a dive instructor and indulged his passion for the marine world. As much as he loved getting up-close-and-personal with underwater creatures, he missed the buzz of bar life and took on a new role in Maldives, before joining Four Seasons Resorts Bali.

As head bartender at Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay, Jan leads a team of 10 full-time bartenders at the flagship restaurant and beach club Sundara, and Telu, where guests can take a workshop in Zero Waste cocktails, learn about Bali’s cocktail heritage with Arak liquor, and tend to the on-site herb and vegetable gardens just as he did at his childhood home.