South Korea comprises the southern half of the mountainous and forested Korean Peninsula, which it shares precariously with North Korea. Home to 51.2 million people and five thousand years of uninterrupted history, South Korea is one of the world’s largest spirits manufacturers and consumers and has both a thriving traditional pub culture and, in the country’s sophisticated, 24/7 capital, Seoul, a burgeoning craft cocktail scene.
The need to preserve foods to be eaten during long, bitter winters led Koreans to master fermentation. Kimchi, Korea’s pickled vegetables, along with countless other dishes like sauces and salted fish, relies on this foundational technique. It is no surprise that Koreans likewise mastered fermentation for beverages. Over the centuries, they created many variations of rice wine (technically beer, as it is grain-based), which became the fuel for communing with nature and the gods and celebrating life’s milestones.
In the thirteenth century, the Mongols descended upon Korea en route to Japan. They brought with them the technique of distillation, which Koreans enthusiastically embraced. The result is soju, a ubiquitous, vodka-like clear spirit that is produced and consumed in mind-boggling quantities. Originally an artisanally crafted pot-stilled rice spirit, today it is an industrial juggernaut commonly made of column-distilled sweet potatoes and tapioca and diluted to proof. South Korea produces 3.63 billion bottles of the latter annually, making it one of the most popular spirits categories on the planet by volume, if not the most. Now, traditional soju is even showing signs of a comeback. In recent years, Western-style cocktail bars staffed by seasoned bartenders have begun to impact the fast-paced nightlife scene of Seoul and win accolades and recognition on the world stage for their very high levels of creativity and execution. The country’s intrepid drink slingers have embraced experimenting with indigenous ingredients and sometimes incorporate traditional Korean spirits, liqueurs, and rice wines to excellent effect. See cocktail renaissance.
In addition, makgeolli, traditionally a bubbly and cloudy rice wine enjoyed by farmers, has been embraced anew by Korean rappers, with artisanal versions increasingly popular and worth seeking out. Beyond soju, Koreans are fond of scotch whisky, both blended and single malt. Prestigious bottles such as Johnnie Walker Blue Label are proudly conferred as gifts when visiting friends and family, with many households displaying such bottles in the equivalent of a trophy cabinet in their living rooms. See Johnnie Walker. In addition, Seoul boasts bars that specialize in scotch whisky and offer an encyclopedic array of bottlings.
In Korea’s collectivist culture, group harmony and solidarity are paramount. Drinking has its own rituals that adhere to Confucian hierarchical etiquette. It is highly frowned upon to pour one’s own drink, let alone tipple alone, so friends, colleagues, and family members are fast to refill a drained glass. Generally, when an elder pours or accepts a pour from someone younger or less senior, the elder holds the bottle or glass with one hand. But when a junior person does the honors, they hold with two hands. Moreover, the less senior person, when receiving a pour, drinks after turning their face aside to “conceal” their sipping with their hand as a sign of deference and respect.
Koehler, Robert. Korean Wines and Spirits. Seoul: Korea Foundation, 2014.
“Mixologists Raise the Bar.” Korea Herald, March 30, 2010. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20090307000009 (accessed April 5, 2021).
By: Michael Anstendig