Easy Korean alcohol concoctions
We’re no stranger to recent viral food and drinks trends that have taken the internet by storm, now that we have to stay home and find ways to spice up our meals. From Parasite’s ramdon to a series of Dalgona coffee spin-offs such as Dalgona Bandung and Dalgona Speculoos, the list seems to be never-ending. Adding on to this, we have 10 Korean alcohol concoctions that you can enjoy at home after a long day of working from home while taking care of your kids. Give them a try – these Korean alcohol drinks are made with easily accessible ingredients and wouldn’t break the bank like a trip to a bar or pub would.
1. Yogurt soju
Image credit: @nimida.hawk
Before we introduce you to a whole new world of Korean alcohol concoctions, here’s one combination that you first need to master – yogurt and soju. This mixture is a favourite amongst Koreans, be it on a night out with friends or just chilling at home with a drink or two.
Ingredients:
- Ice
- 2 shots of soju
- 2 shots of Korean yogurt or original flavoured Yakult/Vitagen
- Chilsung cider or Sprite
Steps:
- Pour 2 shots of soju into a glass half-filled with ice.
- Add 2 shots of Korean yogurt into the glass. Original-flavoured Yakult or Vitagen works as well.
- Fill up the glass with a desired amount of Chilsung cider or Sprite.
- Mix well and enjoy the drink.
2. Hwasa’s Mudshake
Apart from winning over the hearts of many fans around the world with their unique music style, Mamamoo – one of the hottest female K-pop bands today – has been taking over the variety scene with their bright and fun personalities.
While on MBC’s My Little Television, Hwasa created this unique concoction called the Mudshake, which is fuss-free and easy to make. You only need 2 ingredients for this recipe – chocolate milk and soju. The sweetness of the former helps neutralise the bitterness of the latter.
Ingredients:
- Ice
- 200ml chocolate milk
- 2 shots of soju
- Cocoa powder (Optional)
Steps:
- Pour the chocolate milk into a glass ¼ filled with ice.
- Add 2 shots of soju into the glass and mix well.
- Dust some cocoa powder on the top as a finishing touch. (Optional)
3. Melona bar soju
Image credit: @k_leilani_p
We’ve all heard about ice cream floats, but maybe not ice cream-infused alcohol drinks.
All you need to do for this one is to mix all the ingredients up before popping a popsicle into the glass. Swirl it around a few times and voila – a refreshing Korean alcohol concoction that’ll blow your mind.
Image credit: @hawaiiyums
Ingredients:
- 1 Melona bar
- 2 shots of soju
- Chilsung cider or Sprite
- Lemon slices (optional)
Steps:
- Pour 2 shots of soju into a glass filled with ice.
- Add in a desired amount of Chilsung cider or Sprite.
- Pop the Melona bar into the glass and give it a swirl. You’ll notice the drink changing into turning milky.
- If you’re feeling fancy, add a slice of lemon to the glass as a finishing touch. (Optional)
4. Screw bar soju
Image credit: @co___nan
Here’s another ice cream-infused Korean alcohol drink, but this time it’s strawberry-flavoured. This concoction is called the Screw bar soju because it’s made with a Screw bar popsicle.
Much like the previous recipe, all you gotta do is combine the soju and Chilsung cider or Sprite together in a glass before dunking the entire popsicle into the mix, give it a good swirl, and you’re all good to go.
Image credit: @reu_meeee59
Ingredients:
- Ice
- 2 shots of soju
- Chilsung cider or Sprite
- Screw bar (strawberry-flavoured)
- Lemon slices (optional)
- Mint leaves (optional)
Steps:
- Pour 2 shots of soju into a glass filled with ice.
- Add in a desired amount of Chilsung cider or Sprite.
- Dunk the entire ice cream bar into the glass and give it a good swirl till the drink starts to turn pink.
- Top it off with lemon slices and mint leaves. (Optional)
5. Gojimganraeju (coke + soju + beer)
Image credit: @s_ing_soo
Somaek (soju + beer) is a popular alcohol combination among Koreans, but did you know that there’s a zhuzhed up version that locals commonly have when they’re out dining with friends?
Instead of just combining beer and soju together, this recipe adds Coca Cola into the mix, which makes things taste even better.
Ingredients:
- Coca Cola (or Pepsi, if you’re a rebel)
- Soju
- Cass or Max beer
Steps:
- Place a shot glass inside a beer glass and fill the shot glass till ½ full with Coca Cola.
- Stack another shot glass on top of the first shot glass and fill this one with soju till ½ full.
- Complete this recipe by pouring the beer into the main glass till it covers the soju glasses.
- Now all that’s left to do is down the entire drink in one shot.
As you’re downing the entire shot, the bitter note from the somaek will hit you first. But as you get to the end of the glass, the sweetness of the Coca Cola starts to come through.
6. Energizer soju
Image credit: @iamsyji
Red Bull is second to coffee whenever you need a quick energy boost to get you through a tough day. But that’ll no longer be the case with this chart-topping Korean alcohol concoction made of Red Bull, Gatorade, and soju.
Ingredients:
- Ice
- 2 shots of soju
- 1 shot of Red Bull
- 1 shot of Gatorade
Steps:
- Pour 2 shots of soju into a glass half-filled with ice.
- Add a shot of Red Bull, and then a shot of Gatorade into the glass. This order will give the drink an attractive gradient effect.
- Top off with some mint leaves as garnish. (Optional)
- Mix well with a straw before drinking.
7. Coffee soju
If coffee is an integral part of your daily life, we’ve got you covered with this recipe. Take your coffee game up a notch by turning your everyday brew into a cocktail.
Ingredients:
- Ice
- 2 shots of soju
- 2 shots of black coffee
- Sugar syrup (optional)
Steps:
- Brew a cup of coffee as you normally would.
- Add an equal amount of soju and coffee into a glass half-filled with ice, and mix well.
- Those who like their coffee sweet can add sugar syrup to the mix. Just adjust the amount to your liking. (Optional)
8. Dalgona coffee soju
You might think that you’ve seen it all, with Bandung, Speculoos, and even bubble tea Dalgona recipes circulating on the internet, but wait till you try our latest invention: Dalgona coffee soju.
Soju? Yes, you heard us right. It’s time for all alcohol lovers out there to join the Dalgona bandwagon and sip away on this splendid concoction.
While the original recipe for Dalgona Coffee only requires you to whisk the coffee mixture till creamy, this recipe froths up the milk as well. This creates an airy layer of milk, which goes well with the thick layer of coffee cream and viscous texture of the soju.
That being said, if your arms are already hurting from whisking the coffee mix, you can just simply skip step no.2 and just add a desired amount of milk to the glass.
Ingredients:
- Ice
- Milk
- 30ml of hot water
- 2 tbsp of sugar
- 2 tbsp of instant coffee granules
- 1 to 2 shots of soju
Steps:
- Add to a mixing bowl 30ml of hot water, 2 tbsp of sugar, and 2 tbsp of instant coffee granules, and start whisking till you get a thick creamy froth.
- Pour milk into a pan over medium-low heat and using an electric mixer, whip air into the mixture for 2-5 minutes till you get a fluffy consistency. Remove from the heat and set the milk froth one side.
- Pour 1 to 2 shots of soju, depending on your liking, into a glass ¼ filled with ice.
- Spoon a desired amount of milk froth into the glass and top off with the coffee cream.
- Mix well before drinking.
9. Pear soju
Image credit: @may_joon_july
It’s important to have your daily servings of fruits and this recipe is sure to help you with that by including freshly grated pear into your nightly drinking session.
Ingredients:
- Ice
- 2 shots of soju
- ¼ cup of grated Korean pear
- Sparkling water (example: Perrier)
Steps:
- Remove the skin of the pear and grate it till you get ¼ cup of grated pear.
- Pour the grated pear into a glass filled with ice.
- Add 2 shots of soju into the mix.
- Complete this recipe by filling the glass with a desired amount of sparkling water.
10. Watermelon soju
Image credit: @gleetz
Nutritionists recommend having 2 servings of fruits daily, so after you’re done with a glass of pear soju, move on to a refreshing glass of watermelon soju.
While this recipe is for a single serving, we’ve included an alternative step-by-step method if you would like to turn it into a drink to share.
Ingredients:
- Ice
- 2 shots of soju
- ¼ cup of grated watermelon
- Chilsung cider or Sprite
- Mint leaves (optional)
Steps:
- Grate the watermelon flesh till you get ¼ cup and set it aside.
- Pour 2 shots of soju into a glass half filled with ice.
- Add in ¼ cup of grated watermelon.
- Fill the remaining glass with a desired amount of Chilsung cider or Sprite.
- Top it off with mint leaves as garnish. (Optional)
Image credit: @a_meeezy
Image credit: @gleetz
Steps (for group-sharing):
- Cut the watermelon into two halves and set one aside.
- Make a quarter-inch cut on the bottom of the watermelon so that it can stand on its own.
- Separate the flesh from the shell with a spoon and put it into a blender.
- Pour a bottle of soju and approximately the same amount of Chilsung cider or Sprite into the blender, and blend everything together till you get a smooth mixture.
- Fill the watermelon shell with a desired amount of ice before emptying the content of the blender into it.
Korean alcohol concoctions you can make at home
You don’t have to be a trained bartender to make these Korean alcohol concoctions in the comforts of your own home. They are easy to make with ingredients you can conveniently get from any supermarket. So go ahead and try them out – you might just bid farewell to your usual drinking spots after having a taste of them.
Here are other Korea-related articles:
- 21 Romantic Korean dramas
- 8 Korean convenience store food recipes
- 10 Family-friendly activities in Seoul
- Gangneung area guide
- 10 Ice cream shops in Seoul
Cover image adapted from: @iamsyji, @gleetz and @k_leilani_p