There is a hard-to-find bar in a basement in a residential part of Hannam-dong. It has a great reputation, but this was my first visit. Left to myself, I never seem to end up at a bar like this.
Came out dark, but here is the interior
Right in front of me was the vodka. They have quite a range of whiskies, and the bartender’s cocktail skills are first-rate. I had a great time. The only problems are that it is hard to find and so popular that seats rarely open up. Apparently members can make reservations, but an annual membership costs six million won. Tough if you drink alone, I suppose, but with a group that is not so hard.. what we drank that night alone was considerable.
Old Forester
A smooth, classy bourbon. Old Forester itself is a cheap brand, but this limited-edition bottle is pretty tasty. Looking around, Booze has a surprisingly deep stock of bourbon.
Welcome drink
I think it was chestnut soup. A warm welcome is always nice.
Pink Martini
A flashy cocktail. The wings carved from orange peel are so pretty. The bartender is clearly very skilled. The cocktail itself, though, was a bit on the sweet side.
Noah’s Mill
A bourbon that has been getting very good reviews lately. For a bourbon, the body is no joke. I should get a few bottles myself.
Godfather
A cocktail inspired by the movie The Godfather, with a cigar smoking away inside the box. The cocktail is delicious, but the attention to detail in the presentation is fantastic. I have been to all sorts of bars, but this is the first one this thoroughly prepared.
Manhattan
The Manhattan, the so-called queen of cocktails. Unlike other places, it was strong yet finished clean, and that turned out to be this bar’s signature. And not just the Manhattan, every cocktail seemed to share the same character. The bar has a clear identity of its own.
Themselves
A more elaborate and stylish cocktail, chocolate spoon and all, but I took the photo halfway through so this is all I got. It uses coffee and Guinness, and who knew it would taste this fantastic and sweet. Highly recommended.
The liqueur for the Vesper Martini
A liqueur that is hard to find in Korea. Impressive that they managed to get hold of it.
Vesper Martini
They set it up to feel like you are at a casino. The cocktails are genuinely good, and with presentation this meticulous, no wonder Booze is so wildly popular. It is also true that it is always packed, which makes going a little daunting. In that case you can go to Mortar next door, but Mortar is wildly popular too.
Gimlet
They made two gimlets, one with Bombay Sapphire and one with Gordon’s, and I tasted them side by side. The Bombay Sapphire one had more of a gimlet’s clean crispness. It takes real skill to bring out a cocktail’s character with a gin that is not commonly used for it. Of all the bars I have been to in Korea, I think Booze is the best.
Mint Julep
The Mint Julep is a small-serving cocktail that takes a lot of work. It has to be drunk cold to taste right, so they pressed ice onto the cup by hand until it stuck. Jaw-dropping presentation. I really put the bartender through a lot that night. Sorry for being such a pain of a customer.
Daiquiri
Evoking Hemingway’s Cuba, they burned a cinnamon stick in place of a cigar. Fixing the cinnamon to the glass is no easy feat either. Tasting it, I wondered whether a daiquiri had ever been this good. From the presentation to the taste, the impact is strong. It felt like watching a magic show.
Laphroaig 25 Year Old
A bit pricey, but the taste was fine. As expected, the body weakens with age, but it gets smoother. Balancing flavors really is a hard thing.
Martini
We also had martinis made several different ways and compared them. We really did all kinds of things that night. After all that drinking I went home, but a few people stayed until dawn, drinking until Booze closed, then clocked out with the staff and went for another drink with them.. The world is wide and there are some amazing people out there.. Time for me to retire
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