MINUMAN · 15
소주
soju · Soju
Korea's everyday spirit. The familiar green-bottle soju is diluted and has dropped from around 25% in the 1970s–90s to about 16–17% today;…
소주 한 병이랑 잔 두 개 주세요.A bottle of soju and two glasses, please.- 막걸리makgeolliA milky, lightly fizzy rice wine — strained but not clarified, so it's cloudy and has sediment.
- 맥주maekjuMostly light, very fizzy pale lagers — easy to drink with fried chicken.
- 청주cheongjuClear rice wine drawn off from a brew like makgeolli. Under the liquor tax law many traditional clear rice wines are labeled yakju, while sake-style ones are labeled cheongju.
- 복분자주bokbunjajuA sweet, deep-red fruit wine made with bokbunja — the Korean black raspberry, though much of what's grown today is a North American black raspberry.
- 매실주maesiljuMaesil (Korean plum/apricot) steeped in liquor — often homemade in big jars.
- 식혜sikhyeA sweet, non-alcoholic drink made by steeping cooked rice in malted-barley water until the starch turns to sugar; soft rice grains float in it.
- 수정과sujeonggwaA cold cinnamon-and-ginger punch, traditionally served with dried persimmon and pine nuts.
- 보리차borichaRoasted barley tea — nutty, slightly toasty, and caffeine-free.
- 옥수수수염차oksusu suyeomchaA light, slightly sweet tea made from corn silk — different from corn tea, which uses roasted kernels.
- 유자차yujachaYuja citron preserved in sugar like a chunky marmalade, stirred into hot water.
- 쌍화차ssanghwachaA dark, slightly bitter herbal tea brewed from several medicinal roots and herbs.
- 미숫가루misutgaruA powder of several roasted or steamed grains, shaken with water or milk — a nutty, filling drink.
- 바나나맛우유banana mat uyuSweet banana-flavored milk in a squat, jar-shaped bottle inspired by Korean moon jars, first sold in 1974.
- 커피믹스keopi mikseuA single stick of instant coffee, creamer and sugar together — first sold in Korea in 1976, and still the office standby.