Keith Motsi, Head Bartender at Charles H, the standout speakeasy in Four Seasons Seoul, has been named the winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2022. This award recognises a personality who has made a significant impact on Asia’s bar sector over the voting period and recognises their commitment to the bar community over the past 18 months. The Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award is the only peer-judged award in the Asia’s 50 Best Bars programme, collectively voted for by the bartenders of those establishments on the 2022 list.
With the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award, 50 Best reinforces its drive towards championing great bars and recognising the talent that goes the extra mile to bring the community closer together. This award is the second of two special awards to be announced ahead of Asia’s 50 Best Bars’ live ceremony. The second-ever 51-100 list will be announced on 21 April, which will be followed by the gala ceremony and live countdown on 28 April. The countdown will also be streamed live on The World’s 50 Best Bars Facebook and 50 Best Bars TV YouTube Channel for those unable to make it to Thailand.
Mark Sansom, Director of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Bars, says: “This year’s Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award will be a popular one, I’m sure. Anyone who has met Keith Motsi or, indeed, tasted his drinks or experienced his service cannot fail to be enthralled. His journey from the UK and continental Europe to find his spiritual home in the Far East leaves a string of happy guests and entertaining yarns in its wake. Under his leadership, Charles H continues its success in South Korea and his commitment to teamwork makes him a worthy recipient of this year’s Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award.”
Born in Harare, Zimbabwe and raised in the UK, Motsi has travelled the world as a bartender gaining a wealth of international experience which serves as inspiration for his concoctions. With Motsi at the helm, the team at Charles H are given the responsibility to put fresh thought into self-designed cocktails, allowing them a sense of involvement and empowerment towards the menu, while letting guests enjoy the experience.
After dabbling with university study in architecture, Motsi began his career as a barback at Jake’s Bar & Grill in Leeds, UK, a high-volume cocktail bar with a fast-paced environment. Motsi then moved to London in 2014 and served as the Head Bartender at members’ club Soho House. Prior to Charles H, he was Head Bartender at Four Seasons Hotel Beijing, where he helped with the opening of EQUIS, a glamorous social lounge at the hotel comprising five different bars. During his time in Asia, Motsi has achieved many accolades, witnessed the transformation of the South Korean cocktail scene, and has led the Charles H team to the title of The Best Bar in Korea for the past three Asia’s Best 50 Bars.
On winning the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award, Motsi says: “I am extremely honoured and humbled to be recognised by my peers for whom I have the utmost respect. It is doubly special to be recognised for doing something that I love. For me, hospitality and being hospitable is not just a career, but also a state of mind. The magic of the bar industry is our ability to create genuine memories for our guests, and that is what drives me day in and day out. The biggest thank you goes to my team here in Seoul who make me look better than I am – I would not be here without every single one of them.”
Carlos Andres Ramirez, Global Advocacy and PR Manager for Altos Tequila, says: “Supporting the community of bartenders has been a pillar for Altos since its creation in 2010, when we partnered with Dre Masso and Henry Besant, two iconic gurus of the bartending world. Twelve years on, we continue to invest in this support and would like to wish our heartfelt congratulations to Keith Motsi, this year’s Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award winner, as part of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022.”
The seventh edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will be announced on 28 April.
Altos is a super-premium Tequila, crafted from 100% blue agave in the heart of Los Altos, more than 2,000 meters above sea level, in the western state of Jalisco, in Mexico. Born from a collaboration between Altos Tequila’s Master Distiller, Jesús Hernández, and the internationally renowned UK mixologists, Dré Masso and the late Henry Besant, Altos was made by bartenders for bartenders in 2009. The Altos range celebrates the authenticity of Mexico in a modern way, as such each Tequila is crafted in part using the 500-year-old traditional Tahona method, before being distilled in small copper pot stills.
