Keith Motsi is a first-hand witness to transformation in the South Korean cocktail scene. The pandemic is changing habits and his bar, Charles H – recently named The Best Bar in Korea, sponsored by Tia Maria – is a first-mover in taking its lead from its guests. Motsi shares his learnings on the latest developments in the Seoul cocktail scene and tees up the four bars you need to visit in the South Korean capital once travel resumes
A key skill for any bartender, according to Keith Motsi, is to be malleable in the face of a changing audience. Across Asia – and indeed the world – people’s attitude towards a night out is being influenced by the restrictions they are faced with. It’s changing the approach to bookings, orders, movement between venues and timings. How a venue responds to these new parameters will be the measure of their success in the months and years to come.
Allow Keith Motsi to take you on a guided tour of Charles H:
“People are looking at drinks and bars in a different way,” says Motsi, head bartender at Seoul bar Charles H, which won the title of The Best Bar in Korea, sponsored by Tia Maria, at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2021 in May. “They are going out early and looking to stay in one venue most of the night, which means they need to be well fed and watered. They’ll then head home earlier than they would in the past.”
For Motsi, this shift has provided him with the opportunity to show off previously undiscovered elements at Charles H, which is set in the Seoul outpost of the Four Seasons hotel.
“There were rules at the beginning of the year that meant you had to buy food with alcohol,” explains Motsi. “It helped us show people that we have a very high standard of cuisine. Koreans are very particular. They will often go to a venue because they have one signature dish that everyone comes to try, then move on to somewhere else to find another. Now, as you might not be sure whether the next venue you’re planning on going to has availability, it’s changing that culture a little.
Motsi behind the stick at the gilded Charles H Bar
“People now come here especially for our potato chips [which are served to guests on arrival], before they explore different parts of the menu. We’ve seen huge sales across the board, but mainly for our fried chicken. I’m biased, but I think ours is actually the best in the world.”
This guest-forward philosophy extends to drinks. “We’ve noticed we are missing the full-bottle sales we used to get – the big groups who came in after work and spent big on individual items are not happening as mingling between companies after work is not seen as a positive thing. Although we have been selling a lot of cocktails,” Motsi explains.
Three traditional cocktails from the Charles H list: Por Mi Amante; Tropic Moments and Fig & Truffe
This greater number of small parties has brought about a sizeable – and controversial – shift in the way Motsi and his team approach service. “In recent months we have established a full no-alcohol menu,” says Motsi. “It makes up about 30% of our drinks list now and is unbelievably popular. We have created a set of non-alcoholic drinks where people can add the spirit they enjoy. We ask the guest the kind of flavour profiles they usually order, then guide a spirit recommendation that works with that base drink – it’s almost like a DIY pizza.”
For many bartenders, allowing a punter to adjust long-trialed recipes based on spiritous whim would veer into sacrilege. However, when a base drink is conceived to be receptive to a variety of spirits from the offset, it gives the bartender a wider range of options to offer a guest. “For example, we have a clarified milk punch, which is non-alcoholic, but has a huge amount of texture and different spices, with key characteristics of rich milk and cacao nibs,” says Motsi. “This is amazing with dark spirits like rum, so we can recommend this as a pairing for guests who want to take it away from non-alcohol.
“We have another base with high acidity that’s essentially a lemon kefir. It comes with lemongrass blades, basil and honey – this one is nicely suited to white spirits like gin and vodka. It’s about understanding what guest enjoys in terms of a flavour profile and working around that.”
Although spearheaded by Motsi, the bartender credits his team for putting fresh thought into self-designed cocktails. “Pretty much everyone in the team has a drink on the menu,” he says. “We split into smaller groups and everyone works on a drink – it’s not my cocktail list, it’s ours. It’s this sense of involvement and understanding of the drink that gives them a sense of pride to be part of it.
Three key staff members on the Charles H team: Floor Manager Flora Nam; Senior Bartender Hwi Yun; and Senior Bartender Dew Choi
“For me, it’s all about empowerment of the team. There is no point in me saying ‘give the guests a great experience!’ when they are not having a great experience of working here themselves. It’s all about consistency and maintaining the standards that we have set; excellence in bars is about being able to repeat the same simple things over and over, day in, day out and not get bored of it.”
The Charles H team celebrate being named The Best Bar in Korea, sponsored by Tia Maria
Where to drink in Seoul, by Keith Motsi
“Seoul is such a sprawling city – there are over 22 million people in the greater metropolitan area so you can imagine the amount of ground you have to cover. I’ve lived here many years and I’m still discovering new neighbourhoods. The first thing to understand is you can’t really do a bar crawl as such. You have to split it down into areas and say to yourself, ‘I’m going to explore here tonight.’ You need to be strategic,” says Motsi.
Bar Cham
“This is a big shout out to our brilliant neighbours here. It’s a beautiful old hanok [Korean traditional house] and super refined. They know Korean ingredients better than anyone and they know how to make them work in a modern cocktail format – they’re not just using Korean ingredients for the sake of it. It’s the perfect place to come and learn about true Korean flavour profiles. Order the Negroni.”
Southside Parlor
“They’ve been here so long and it’s one of the best bars in the city, but it goes under the radar. It was opened by Texan expats and has a bit of a speakeasy vibe to it although it’s totally unpretentious. The homemade syrups and sodas used in the cocktails are brilliant.”
Pocket
“This place is also from the guys behind Southside Parlor. All of the ingredient offcuts go to Pocket – they were doing sustainability long before it became fashionable. When I recommend it to people who have been living in the city for years, they tell me they had no idea it was here, so it still has an exclusive feel to it. The hospitality is top-notch and the tacos go brilliantly with one of Seoul’s best selections of mezcal.”
Zest
“This place opened last December from the all-star team behind Alice. They’re brilliant people who have travelled a lot, won international cocktail competitions and know how to make their mark. Order their Jeju Garibaldi, followed by the Crack Sour, which is made with delicious local honey.”
Missed the live event? Catch up on the virtual ceremony and check out the full results for Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2021, sponsored by Perrier. To stay up to date with all the latest bar news from around the globe, follow us on Instagram, like on Facebook and subscribe to 50 Best Bars TV YouTube channel.
