The Standard is an innovative and brand new destination in Brussels. We opened around the same time, and I think we share similar values — strong attention to design and architecture, combined with a real commitment to hospitality and guest experience.
Two spaces built with intention. Two teams obsessed with detail. The connection felt natural.
ökēn is a cocktail bar built around thoughtful design, with a strong focus on the quality of both the drinks and the hospitality. For us, service and atmosphere are just as important as what’s in the glass.
At ökēn, the cocktail is never isolated. It lives inside a wider experience.
The entire space is designed to feel cosy and almost timeless. The goal is to create a complete experience where architecture, music, service, and cocktails all work together to immerse the guest.
When the ceiling is low and the lighting is soft, flavours shift. Tempo shifts. Conversations change. The drink becomes part of the architecture.
Music, community, and good parties. It’s about creating moments people genuinely connect with.
Beyond technique, it’s about memory.
We wanted to create an experience through three different drinks, each designed for a different palate — so everyone could immediately find something that resonates with them.
Three entry points. Three personalities. One shared energy.
Two of the cocktails come from a long period of research and development with the team. The third is one of my personal signature drinks — a tropical flavoured cocktail that visually looks like water, which always creates a surprising first impression.
At first glance: minimal.
On the palate: unexpected.
It comes from extensive research and development, but also from teamwork. The objective is always inclusivity — creating drinks that can speak to different tastes so everyone can find their own entry point into the experience.
Experimentation is not about exclusivity. It is about invitation.
I wouldn’t say Brussels itself, but rather the people here. The diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and knowledge within the team naturally influences the way we create.
A city filtered through the hands that build it.
We usually start with the space itself. Then music and cocktails evolve together — especially while ökēn was being built — and the crowd naturally followed that energy.
Space first.
Then sound.
Then flavour.
Then people.
It starts with collective knowledge and intuition. Then we look at the bigger picture we want to create, and finally technique and flavour development come into play depending on the products we choose to work with.
Instinct. Vision. Technique. In that order.
In Brussels and Belgium, cocktail culture developed slightly later compared to cities like Paris or London, but it has grown tremendously in recent years. Today, Brussels has earned a real place on the international cocktail scene, and I believe it will continue to grow. The creation of the Brussels Bar Show is a strong sign of that evolution.
The city has found its rhythm. And it’s only getting louder.
First of all, the visual impact. We eat and drink with our eyes first. Then the flavour needs to surprise you in a positive way and create an emotional memory.
You see it.
You sip it.
You remember it.
The collaboration runs from 19 March to 09 April.
Our Lobby Bar is open daily from 04:00 PM to 12:00 AM. No reservations needed, just come by.
More info here.
