Four Seasons Hotel Seoul has earned recognition as the only hotel in Korea to be featured in the World’s Best Awards 2024 by Travel + Leisure. This prestigious accolade is largely thanks to its bar, OUL, which draws inspiration from Seoul’s distinctive drinking culture. On August 6, 2024, OUL will unveil a revamped cocktail menu that highlights Korean liquors, homemade cordials, and local ingredients.
The new menu promises Instagram-worthy drinks paired with delicious anju bites, perfect for late-night enjoyment. Head Bartender Ike Ryu’s innovative creations, such as the Seoul Mule, Kimchi Highball, and Milsoo, showcase his impressive creativity, making them ideal for Seoul’s summer nights.
OUL Bar delves into the city’s liquor crafting and fermentation traditions, spanning past, present, and future innovations. The menu is divided into three sections: Traditional, Turn of the Century, and Today and Beyond. Ike Ryu takes inspiration from flavors reminiscent of Korean childhood, featuring ingredients like banana milk, garlic, barley tea, kimchi, gochujang, and soybean paste. For guests new to Korean tastes, his concoctions come in familiar formats such as highball, negroni, and gimlet.
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In the Traditional section, new creations include Milsoo, a creamy blend of Makgeolli (traditional Korean rice wine), pine needle tea-infused rum, pine powder, honey, and cream, and Yujacha, which combines Jeju mandarin-infused Sonbi gin, yuja, pineapple, and honey for a tangy sweet and sour flavor.
The Turn of the Century section surprises with Ssal 75, an aromatic twist on the classic French 75, blending mandarin peel-infused gin with sparkling rice wine, and the non-alcoholic Nok-Cha, which features green tea, citrus, mint, and ginger seltzer.
In the Today and Beyond section, Ike Ryu’s creativity shines with experimental drinks featuring spicy, salty, or umami flavors, including gochujang and a mugwort rice cake-inspired cocktail. Sool Bab is a rich, velvety treat with miso butter soju and nurungji syrup, while the upgraded Kimchi Highball includes radish water kimchi, chili powder, garlic, and ginger for a fiery kick.
OUL regulars will be pleased to find signature favorites still on the menu. Sikhye pairs pumpkin and chai tea; Goosoo Highball offers a playful twist on barley tea; banana milk and hazelnut combine in Banana Milk, and K-Negroni celebrates Korean blackberry and omija. Non-alcoholic options ensure everyone can enjoy an immersive taste adventure.
“It’s a privilege for me to be able to share the dazzling flavor combinations of my homeland in ever more creative ways at OUL,” comments Head Bartender Ike Ryu. “My career so far has also afforded me a deeper understanding of the tastes of our international guests. It’s fun to find that balance between exploring uniqueness and authentically expressing local culture while creating drinks that feel familiar.”
No Korean cocktail night is complete without anju—side dishes or snacks enjoyed alongside alcohol. OUL’s new menu features delights like Parboiled Octopus from Korea’s East Sea with homemade yuja sauce and squid ink-coated quinoa popcorn. The Barley Bibimbap Salad includes barley rice in a special soybean paste sauce with vegetables and rice paper, while the vegan menu features Tofu Leek Rolls—grilled leek wrapped in dried flat tofu with soybean paste sauce.
OUL classics like Lobster Tteokboki, Hanwoo Yukhoe (beef tartare) with special chili paste sauce, and Bada Ramen with seafood remain popular. Guests can also enjoy local craft liquors such as gin, wine, whiskey, and vodka, along with modern Korean fare. All alcoholic cocktails are priced from KRW 29,000. OUL is open from 6:00 pm to midnight, except on Sundays and Mondays.
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