A Cookbook’ For K-Drama Fans

Shoppers hold Gino bottles at a convenience store in Seoul, which is the most popular alcoholic beverage in South Korea. Park Tomoi/AFP via Getty Images.

AFP via Getty Images

The increasing popularity of Korean entertainment has introduced SOJU into the global market. Many Korean movies and drama plots show scenes where fictional characters enjoy clear alcoholic beverages. In particular, K-Dramas often share drinks with family, friends or colleagues, usually Soju. This reflects the overall meaning of Soju’s daily life in Korea.

“It’s almost for granted,” said Irene Yoo, a food writer and co-owner of Orion Bar in Brooklyn. “It’s a very obvious part of society. Not only is it something that people relax and have fun, but it’s an important part of the work culture. Korean office staff must agree to drink with colleagues or bosses. It’s an important part of the client’s restaurant, and it’s a large part of the Koreans, and it’s a certainly big part. It’s really a lifelong attitude when it comes to respecting your ancestors or the dead.”

Yoo (@yooeating) has written SOJU Party: How to Drink (and Eat) Like Korean: A Recipe To help Soju-Canious learn more about this traditional beverage. Drinking like a Korean (or with a Korean), involves some rituals. There is a restricted way to open the Soju bottle, which is the correct way to pour water and drink. Omitting these steps seems to be disrespectful to your drinking partner.

“Koreans have such a unique culture in drinking this very special alcohol called Soju,” Yoo said. “We have a lot of drinking rituals around us. We have a very specific pouring hierarchy where you can pour down from the oldest or most advanced people there and pour down.”

The Korean drama scene is actually based on a scene where workers (often reluctantly) accompany their colleagues at drinking nights. Young workers were asked to attend such parties recently, but they were still everywhere, Yoo said.

“To be successful in the culture of office workers, you have to go after work with your boss, higher interest after partying,” Yoo said. “The idea is to make them happy, so they look at you in a positive way. Once again there is hierarchy everywhere. It’s just a Korean thing that Korean drinks.”

Drinking soju is usually composed of more than one round, but some factors help speed up drinking. SOJU can have alcohol content up to 53%, but the most popular SOJU consumption is usually between 15 and 20%. Traditionally, SOJU is consumed through small lenses. Soju is also eaten with more stuffed food than bar snacks. There is a whole category of food called Anju.

Soju is usually served with savory soup, Korean barbecue, raw fish or grilled seafood, while another traditional Korean drink, Makgeolli, is served with savory Korean pancakes or stir-fried tofu, kimchi, kimchi and pork. Yoo’s book hints at a lot of delicious drinks and recipe combinations. While Soju is most often neat, Yoo’s book also includes cocktail ideas. Some are traditional, some were created at the Brooklyn Bar, which she opened with her husband Nick Dodge. These cocktails are available with delicious global fares such as kimchi Carbonara and fried dumplings.

“We want to be a Korean and American diving bar,” Yoo said. “I love the Korean-style Poocha that goes on Koreatown, and the American-style neighborhood diving bar we really like. It ranges from beer and photography to these made cocktails. Well, of course, you have to carry food with you.”

Whether you are visiting a bar or reading a recipe, you may want to try her spam cocktail, which doesn’t contain any actual spam, but inspired by spam, Koreans must try it first during wartime hunger. A smoky cocktail made with pineapple and lime juice is one of her favorites.

“It’s inspired by the spirit of spam,” Yoo said. “It’s a spicy and smoky tiki drink.”

The book also includes cocktails paired with Korean classics – such as jujube Ginseng Negroni, Kimchi Bloody Mary or Smoked Burdock Manhattan. One publisher asked Yoo to write a book that focused only on Korean beverages, but Yoo insisted that there was a lot more to the topic.

“There is such a world around you,” Yoo said. “Drinking games and food. You can’t have another one. It can’t be just a cocktail.”

Yoo’s book has various drinking games, recipes, and even mentions favorite Korean dramas. Her Dream House features a distinctive feature in Korean drama Hometown Cha Cha. The character Chief Kim Seon-ho lives in the renovated Hanok, equipped with an old-fashioned radio and old books. There is also a room divider filled with his large glass jars of Damgeum-ju or infused wine.

“It’s a really good drama,” Yoo said. “I just like it because that’s the type of life I want to retire. They live in a small community. But I want to say that my favorite K drama might be Weightlifting Fairy Tale Kim Bok-ju. ”

She agreed that the popularity of the Korean media has increased interest in Korean food and alcohol.

“K-Pop and K-Dramas are things people see in a comfortable watch or listening and immersing in immersion,” Yoo said.

With the increasing international consumption of K-Content, Korean cooking products and ingredients have become more accessible in US supermarkets. In 2024, kimchi sales increased by 80%. The United States has also become one of the fastest growing markets for Korean ramen.

“It’s really great to be able to find them near home,” Yoo said. “It’s something I’ve been seeing all the time, even on my local H Mart. There’s a way to use Korean food, Korean products, Korean alcohol in the process of writing this book. I think the two are definitely working together.”

SOJU Party: How to Drink (and Eat) Like Korean: A Recipe, Published by Penguin Random House and will be available on September 9 in the bookstore.