Move along soju, makgeolli is here to take the spotlight now
Koreans have been traditionally known for their love of soju, and it’s easy to see why: the clear, distilled Korean liquor is easy to drink straight and is the basis for a variety of low-alcohol cocktails. The spirit may be stronger than beer or wine at an average of 24 per cent, but compared to clear spirits like vodka, it packs a weaker punch for those who don't want all the extra liquor.
In recent years, however, it seems that there has been a resurgence of the traditional Korean rice wine, makgeolli, amongst the younger crowd. For the uninitiated, makgeolli is a traditional Korean rice wine that has been around for centuries and made with three main ingredients: rice, water and nuruk, a Korean fermentation starter. The result? A hazy, tangy, and slightly effervescent drink.
At a low 6 to 7 per cent ABV, it was once the drink of choice amongst farmers, peasants and the working class up until 1988, but its popularity declined with the introduction of modern liquor such as beer and soju. Fact: the word makgeolli doesn’t actually have any meaning—it translates to “just scooped” in Korean. The hazy rice wine that many know is sometimes referred to as Tak-ju in bottle shops. Other names that it goes by also include yak-ju, which is filtered tak-ju without any sediment.
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According to Sang Chun “Sam” Lee, a certified Korean liquor maker born in 1990, makgeolli was considered something old school that a lot of older people liked to drink. “When I started drinking, I would drink makgeolli occasionally in a setting where they usually sold traditional Korean food such as savoury pancakes and tofu. However, I never liked the experience too much since they brought massive headaches afterwards. They were cheap, sweet and migraine starters.”
Man Joong Kim, the owner of Onzi Brewery, echoes similar sentiments. “I have many terrible memories of makgeolli when I was in my twenties. I had one too many bad hangovers the day after—there was never a time where I woke up without a headache.”
While the resurgence in makgeolli's popularity can be attributed to the interest in Korean culture and cuisine around the world, one also has to take into account the growing number of artisanal breweries and traditional liquor bars making their own versions too.
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