An Aromatic Voyage at Nautilus Bar, Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta

The coffered ceiling, intimate nooks, and black-and-gold interior design of Nautilus Bar at Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta garnered its reputation as one of the most stylish hotel bars in Jakarta. Inspired by the city’s past as a historic trading port of Sunda Kelapa, the bar’s new menu is a captivating retelling of the epic spice trade saga.

“We decided to pick four spices or ingredients that were commonly traded during that time. So, we’re working with pepper, pandan, cinnamon, and nutmeg on our current drinks menu,” explains Julian Brigget, manager of Nautilus Bar at Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta.

Even before moving to Jakarta last year, he and his four team members were already occupied with research and development. Hailing from Selangor, Malaysia, Brigget arrived from the award-winning Bar Trigona at Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur. He spent the first few months gaining an understanding of the city’s drinking culture and closely working with his team, before formulating 16 spirit-forward cocktails and five low-ABV drinks.

Pandan, for example, is prominently featured and tastefully used in P&J, Pandan Epel, Pandan Sour, Kelapa, and the low-ABV Kelapa Zero. “P&J stands for Pandan and Jackfruit, a multistep, fruity tipple that took seven hours to make. From making the pandan pistachio orgeat to clarifying the drink, it is an easy cocktail to dispense but time-consuming to make. Overall, we are happy that we managed to play around with the ingredients and have the right ratio balance in each sip,” adds Brigget.

Raised by a hotelier parent, he found his way into studying and working in the hospitality industry smoothly. Brigget experienced working in various departments, from in-room dining to bar operation, before finding joy in bartending.

“I thought, let’s try something outside of what I’m comfortable with and that’s how I ended up making cocktails and striving to understand flavours better.” He firmly believes that Jakarta’s bar scene is booming. “There is a new bar opening every other month and it becomes hard to keep up! The city is evolving with the drinking culture, and everybody wants to be a part of it,” says the bar manager.

He is also a believer in prioritising local produce. “That’s my definition of sustainability. Most of our ingredients are grown in Indonesia and there is no better way to support the local food growers than that. Focus local and hit on the correct points,” he concludes.

Lada

Serves 1

Ingredients

45ml butterfly pea Citadelle Gin

15ml strawberry Planteray 3 Stars White Rum

20ml lemon juice

15ml Andaliman pepper honey syrup

20ml almond milk

Method

Butterfly Pea Citadelle Gin

Add 15g butterfly pea flowers into 700ml Citadelle Gin. Steep for 15 minutes at room temperature. Fine strain.

Strawberry Planteray 3 Star Rum

Add 10 pcs strawberries into 700ml Planteray 3 Stars White Rum. Blend well and fine strain.

Andaliman Pepper Honey Syrup

Mix 100ml white honey with 30ml water and 15g Andaliman pepper. Blend well until smooth. Fine strain.

Assembly

Mix butterfly pea Citadelle Gin, strawberry Planteray 3 Stars White Rum, lemon juice, Andaliman pepper honey syrup, and almond milk together. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Fine strain with a cloth and a strainer into a bowl.

Let the liquid run through for a few seconds. Restrain until all of the clear liquids run through.

To serve, add ice and a slice of strawberry.