Playful New Charles H. Cocktail Menu Brings a Taste of New York to Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

With the unfolding of a new year comes a thrilling new cocktail menu at intimate speakeasy Charles H. Ranked #7 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022 and #1 in Korea, the contemporary hideaway – discretely located on the Lower Lobby level at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul – welcomes 2024 with five artful New York-inspired cocktails, adding to London, Havana and Hong Kong-inspired cocktails.

Be a Part of it – New York, New York

A visionary collaboration between Head Bartender Odd Strandbakken and Beverage Creative Director Alyssa Heidt, the new menu is a nod to one of the favourite cities of the bar’s namesake, Charles H. Baker Jr., a globe-trotting bon vivant and writer who explored the world through fine food and drink in the early 1900s.

“Charles H. Baker’s books remain bartender bibles to this day,” comments Strandbakken. “Our Big Apple-inspired cocktail menu is both an opportunity to celebrate Charles H. himself and immerse our fellow cocktail connoisseurs in the vibe of New York’s Prohibition-era speakeasies.”

Introducing 2024’s New York Cocktails

• NYC Flight – A reimagining of the year-round Charles H. signature menu favourite, these Manhattan cocktails are inspired by the creations of famous contemporary Big Apple mixologists and named after New York neighbourhoods. Bay Ridge – created by Tom Macy at Clover Club in 2014 – is a play on a classic Vieux Carre with dry vermouth; Bushwick is a full-bodied take on a classic Brooklyn cocktail thanks to 2009 creator, Phil Ward of Mayahuel; Little Italy – a 2005 creation by Pegu Club’s Audrey Saunders – is a twist on a Black Manhattan with Cynar amaro.
• Yellow Taxi – A creative take on the classic Penicillin cocktail, Yellow Taxi channels iconic New York vibes with a smoky mezcal base and homemade ginger-honey mustard and a unique hot dog-inspired smoky float, garnished with ginger jelly with a chilli kick.
• All Day Mary – Inspired by the cold-pressed Bloody Mary from the iconic New York bar Dante, this piquant blend combines freshly-juiced Korean vegetables with lacto-fermented chilli puree and an New York-style “Everything Bagel” salt rim.
• Old Fashioned Highball – This sophisticated sipper artfully merges two classics: Old Fashioned and Whiskey Highball. The bourbon’s aroma is enhanced by citrus notes from Korean Jeju mandarins, with a hand-crafted mandarin and cherry fruit “leather” garnish.
• Knickerbocker (mocktail) – A fragrant homage to the Knickerbocker New York classic cocktail, this non-alcoholic version treats non-drinkers with a homemade rum-flavoured base of burnt caramel, nutmeg and vanilla bean, while local bokbunja juice adds the classic berry Knickerbocker flavour.

World’s Best “Companions” Come to Seoul

More Charles H. Baker Jr. inspiration – namely his book, Gentleman’s Companion – underpins the bar’s Companion Series for 2024. In January, February and March, the nightspot will host visiting bartenders from other iconic establishments on the World’s and Asia’s 50 Best Bars list. Not only will guests get to experience mixology’s finest creations, but the chance to glean new skills through on-site masterclasses.

“Like our namesake, we know that life’s finest pleasures are always best shared, so we can’t wait to collaborate with some of the world’s best mixologists,” adds Heidt. “Our ethos has always been to bring together like-minded enthusiasts in the spirit of creativity, friendship and the latest flavours.”

The 2024 Companion Series, sponsored by Pernod Ricard, launches on January 30, 2024 with Rogerio Igarashi Vaz from Tokyo’s Bar TRENCH – #92 in Asia’s Best Bars 2023 and featured in the Netflix docu-series Midnight Asia. Tameryn Cooper from 28 Hong Kong Street in Singapore (ranked #59 in the World’s 50 Best Bars 2023) follows on February 27, 2024. March heralds a visit from Manhattan Bar in Singapore, #63 in the World’s 50 Best Bars and #21 in the Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2023. This guest bartender event will continue throughout 2024.

Speakeasy Bar at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

Named after the legendary American author and epicurean Charles H. Baker – who travelled the world from the 1920s to 1950s – the speakeasy bar Charles H. is accessible via a secret passageway within Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. Opening into a glamorous space surrounded by extravagant pieces of Korean artwork, Charles H., #7 in 2022 and #51 in 2023 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars, offers a tantalizing reinterpretation of cocktails from four cities featured in Baker's writings as well as classic cocktails and carefully selected high quality products and artisanal spirits, alongside a diverse food menu to pair with the drinks. Follow Charles H. on Instagram @charleshseoul.

To sip a trip to the Big Apple or meet the guest bartenders at Charles H. at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, contact +82 (2) 6388 5500.