It was another win for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts as Keith Motsi, head bartender of Charles H, the speakeasy at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, was named the Bartenders’ Bartender 2022 by Asia’s 50 Best Bars. This followed the announcement last week that BKK Social Club at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok was the recipient of the Art of Hospitality Award, the first of the two special awards announced ahead of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022 live ceremony.

The peer-voted Bartenders’ Bartender award honours “a personality who has made a significant impact on Asia’s bar sector and recognises their commitment to the bar community.” It is voted for by the bartenders of the establishments listed on the 2022 list.

Raised in the UK, where he began his bartending career, Motsi hails from Harare, Zimbabwe. With an initial inclination for architecture, it was hospitality that eventually captured the imagination of Motsi and would take him around the world on a journey that would, in turn, inspire his creations behind the bar.

Motsi’s first career stop in Asia was Equis at Four Seasons Hotel Beijing, where he worked before moving to Charles H at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, a bar that for the last three consecutive years has been named Best Bar in Korea by Asia’s 50 Best Bars. Here, he is known not only for his top-notch cocktails but also his attention to detail, both when it comes to what he’s serving and to the guest experience.

“Guests want a place that feels like home,” he has said. “Cocktails are central, but people really come for the experience.

And Motsi reportedly always delivers, whether through his drinks programme or, if guests are lucky enough, with dance moves that make an evening at Charles H even more memorable. 

“For me hospitality and being hospitable is not just a career, but also a state of mind,” he says. “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 Bartenders’ Bartender Award will be presented at a live ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand on 28 April, when the Asia's 50 Best Bars 2022 ranking will also be revealed.