Somaek (소맥)

I’ve been studying Korean while in Seoul. It’s a fascinating language. Hangul, their alphabet, is a brilliant writing system that is easy to learn. It reminds me of the zhuyin (注音) system in Taiwan, except hangul is even better. It’s probably the best East Asian system. Each letter represents a sound, and you can piece together two to four letters into a syllable. It is just amazing how simple and effective it is. In modern Korea you have no need to memorize hanja (or traditional Chinese characters) to survive. Wish I could say that about Taiwan.

As part of my learning process, I’ve been watching K-dramas to bolster my listening comprehension. Or at least, that’s my excuse for binge watching them. Korean pop culture is so good. I can see why it has taken over the world.

The latest series I’ve been watching is Hometown Cha-cha-cha. They love tasty food in Korea, and watching this series has exposed me to all sorts of new dishes I want to try, and in some cases adapt to vegetarian versions.

But this post is about somaek (소맥), a popular cocktail, which was introduced to me in episode 7.

I rarely drink alcohol, but I do enjoy it occasionally. I don’t like getting wasted and I hate hangovers, but if I can get a pleasant buzz, that is my happy zone. More than getting buzzed, I love anything carbonated, so I appreciate a cold pint of beer. Corona is one of my favorites. (Yes, I’m basic like that.) So I was eager to try somaek after it was featured on the show.

Somaek is a cocktail composed of soju (소주) and beer. Soju is a popular Korean rice wine. It’s so popular; it might well be their national drink. I happened to have some non-alcoholic Heineken in the fridge, so all I had to do was pop into a convenience store for a bottle of soju.

I wasn’t sure which brand to buy, so I picked the more expensive one, because I didn’t want a bad soju experience. The one I picked was Jinro’s Chamisul Fresh. Apparently, Jinro soju is the world’s top selling distilled spirit, outselling Hennessy, Jameson, and Baileys combined! I was in good hands.

The soju was smooth, sweet, and fragrant. It’s quite similar to Japanese sake, but I think it’s a bit more drinkable (perhaps I just haven’t had good sake).

The golden ratio of soju to beer is said to be 30:70, but this is a matter of dispute. Some Seoulites believe 40% soju to 60% beer is ideal. Having tried both ratios, I agree with them. You need that extra 10% of soju to bring out the rice wine flavors.

Somaek is a delicious cocktail if you’re using a beer you enjoy. In my case, the zero-proof Heineken was perfect. Neither my husband or I could even tell that our somaek was alcoholic!

Should you ever find yourself munching on some Korean comfort food, don’t forget to wash it down with somaek.

What do you like to drink with your meals? Comment below; I’d love to hear from you!