Charles H reveals new menu

Speakeasy bar Charles H in Seoul, South Korea, has launched a menu of cocktails inspired by New York City.

Charles H’s head bartender Odd Strandbakken and beverage creative director Alyssa Heidt designed the menu in honour of one of Charles H Baker Jr’s favourite cities.

The bar, concealed within the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, was named after the American author, who travelled the world between 1920 and 1950 while writing about cocktails.

Strandbakken said Baker’s books remain “bartender bibles to this day”.

He added: “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.”

The menu is made up of five drinks, starting with the NYC Flight, which is a round of Manhattans based on cocktails from New York bartenders and named after neighbourhoods Bay Ridge, Bushwick and Little Italy.

The Yellow Taxi is a play on a Penicillin, which features a mezcal base with homemade ginger-honey mustard, a hot dog-inspired smoky float and ginger jelly as a garnish, for a chilli kick.

The All Day Mary, meanwhile, is made with freshly juiced Korean vegetables, lacto-fermented chilli purée and has a New York-style ‘Everything Bagel’ salt rim. It is inspired by the cold-pressed Bloody Mary at Dante, one of New York’s most highly regarded bars.

The Old Fashioned Highball is a cross between the two classic cocktails, crafted with mandarins from Jeju Island. And, lastly, the Knickerbocker mocktail is a non-alcoholic version of the Knickerbocker cocktail, which allegedly originated in New York, containing a ‘rum-flavoured base of burnt caramel, nutmeg and vanilla bean’, with local bokbunja juice.

Companion Series

Alongside the new menu, Charles H is also hosting a ‘Companion Series’ sponsored by Pernod Ricard. The series will see mixologists from various bars around Asia drop in for guest shifts throughout 2024.

So far, the bill has Rogerio Igarashi Vaz from Tokyo’s Bar Trench coming on 30 January, Tamaryn Cooper from Singapore’s 28 Hongkong Street on 27 February, and Manhattan Bar – also in Singapore – in March.

Charles Baker is credited as the influence behind the Companions Series too, namely through his book Gentleman’s Companion.

Heidt said: “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.

“Our ethos has always been to bring together like-minded enthusiasts in the spirit of creativity, friendship and the latest flavours.”

Charles H was nominated for Best International Hotel Bar at 2023 Spirited Awards.