Here's How To Drink Soju The Traditional Way

In recent years, soju has become a massively popular alcoholic beverage in the United States, with interest in the spirit continuing to grow. As we begin to catch up with Korea (and the rest of the world) as newfound aficionados, learning more about how soju is enjoyed in its home country is likely to give us a far greater appreciation of the spirit. There are several Korean traditions regarding soju that could further enhance your enjoyment of the beverage.

For starters, it's essential to store soju correctly. The spirit is traditionally enjoyed very cold, with many drinkers in Korea keeping bottles of the drink in the fridge or even freezer up until the moment they serve them. As for how it's served, soju is intended to be enjoyed in special shot glasses — also known as, you guessed it, soju glasses. Despite this, soju isn't meant to be drunk all at once and is instead supposed to be sipped slowly by the drinker – at least once you've had the first shot, which may be consumed faster.

This means if you're the type of person who drinks soju warm, fast, and directly from the bottle, you should likely refrain from doing that if you want to honor traditional Korean etiquette. Otherwise, one thing about soju that is universal is that the drink is believed to be at its best when shared – and it is usually served with food, too. Just make sure that the eldest person present is the one doing the pouring, as is the custom — and never pour your own glass.

Now, while soju is most commonly enjoyed cold in soju glasses, that doesn't mean that Koreans are against mixing things up with the country's most popular alcohol. Soju is consumed in a couple of other different ways, too, which both introduce different liquids into the equation. The first of these is through traditional cocktails. 

Soju can be used to create some absolutely delicious cocktails, with a favorite among many die-hard fans of the Korean drink being the soju Yakult cocktail. This features the liquor alongside the sweet probiotic yogurt drink, topped up with some lemon-lime soda. Otherwise, the drink can also be used similarly to vodka — a liquor it is often associated with in the United States despite soju's far lower ABV which is often below 25%. So you might find it in mixed drinks like screwdrivers, too.

Alternatively, the third way Koreans traditionally indulge in soju is alongside — or within — beer. This is quite a common practice in Korea, where beer and soju are the two most popular kinds of alcohol. When they come together, it simultaneously makes a glass of beer stronger, and gives it a far more unique taste for the drinker to enjoy. The combination, known in Korea as somaek, tends to use proportions of around 70% beer and 30% soju to get the ideal taste and strength.