[WHY] Soju meets beer: The golden-tinged combo fueling Korean nightlife

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[WHY] Soju meets beer: The golden-tinged combo fueling Korean nightlife

Published: 17 May. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 21 May. 2025, 12:08

SARAH CHEA
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Rose of Blackpink introduces somaek, a fusion of soju and beer, as her favorite liquor in celebration of her new single ″Apt.″ during an interview with Vogue. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The dreamy synth of Rosé’s smash hit “APT.” has a new featuring artist that delivers a fizz — somaek, the quintessential Korean soju-meets-beer mix.

If you’ve ever raised a glass in Korea, chances are you’ve faced the golden-tinged tipple called somaek — a portmanteau of soju and the Korean word for beer, maekju — which could come off as an odd cocktail to outsiders who watch Koreans pound glasses of it as they play a drinking game that inspired the Blackpink idol's big smash.

Somaek is one of the most beloved alcoholic drinks among Koreans, but it doesn’t stop at just a type of drink. Its broad appeal sheds light on Korea’s uniquely communal approach to alcohol, and marks a shift in the evolution of drinking traditions.

From “honey shots” to “vortex shots” and “loyalty shots,” Koreans’ affection for somaek often spills over into playful rituals at the table.

So, why do Koreans mix soju and beer?

Well, no one really knows who first mixed soju and beer. But its staying power? That’s easy. It’s affordable, and it makes soju a whole lot easier to love.

In Korea, drinking is often associated with intoxication rather than casual sipping. Somaek fits that purpose well as soju delivers a stronger effect with an alternative to whiskey that is way cheaper than imported spirits, and when mixed with beer, it becomes a budget-friendly way to get tipsy fast.

There’s also the matter of taste. Soju, on its own, can be harsh, while beer can feel flat. But together, they strike a balance — easier to swallow with a lightly sweet and smoother taste. When mixed — depending on the ratio — soju and beer typically produce a drink with an alcohol content of around 10 percent.

“If I get to choose between soju or beer alone and somaek, I’ll definitely go with somaek. Soju on its own is too bitter and doesn’t taste great, while beer makes you feel bloated,” said Kim Da-yeon, a 28-year-old art teacher who lives in Seoul.

“If a highball is an option, my friends and I will always choose a highball for better taste to enjoy the time spent drinking,” She added. “It seems like people drink soju just to get drunk."

People toast with somaek, one of the most beloved drinks among Koreans and a staple at company gatherings. [GETTY IMAGES]

Somaek hegemony: ‘Democracy’ at the drinking table

Experts say somaek’s rise isn’t just about booze — it’s a fizzy reflection of modern Korea itself, where individuals incorporate their own personal preferences into a drinking culture borne out of groupthink and begin leaning into personal choices, all while riding the wave of rapid development and growing diverse social fabric.

“Somaek is a prime example of democracy in communal drinking culture; when people start to express their own style, such as a soju-to-beer ratio of 1:1 or 1:2, and their personal preferences,” said Prof. Myung Wook of the sommelier and barista department of Sejong Cyber University, who also writes about liquors as columnist.

“Although Korea’s transition to a democratic government in the 1990s marked significant political change, drinking culture remained largely influenced by a military-style hierarchy,” Myung added. “Somaek can be seen as Korea’s first true attempt to respect individual taste in the drinking scene, paving the way for other trends like the highball — a more refined evolution of the concept.”

But while somaek is a uniquely Korean creation, the idea of mixing alcohol isn’t a new phenomenon. The concept of blending spirits with beer can be traced back to the West, where drinks like the boilermaker or bomb shots became common.

There are some unconfirmed rumors about its origins, but one theory suggests that in the early 20th century, poor dockworkers in the United States mixed cheap whiskey and beer to get drunk quickly, spending as little as they could.

Another claim points to Russian lumberjacks in the same era, who supposedly mixed vodka and beer to survive the freezing Siberian winters.

Office workers mix soju and beer to make somaek [GETTY IMAGES]

Somaek’s moniker as a ‘media consolidation’ shot

Somaek is also a drink born out of a reality that was equal parts bitter and absurd.

The concept of somaek is traced back to 1980 when military regime of the late President Chun Doo Hwan, when he forcibly consolidated the media and restructured the nation’s media industry, according to Myung.

At the time, under the Chun regime, 64 media companies were forced to shut down or merge with others, leaving just 18. More than 1,000 journalists were fired and 172 periodicals closed.

“Some of the displaced journalists at the time gathered to drink in protest of the media suppression, and in a display of irony and defiance, they began mixing different types of alcohol together, specifically soju and beer, joking that if the government could consolidate the press, they might as well consolidate their drinks too,” Myung said.

Lee Dae-hyoung, who studied and developed liquor for almost two decades, says the popularization of somaek dates back to the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when economic hardship led people to seek cheaper alternatives to expensive Western spirits.

“A bottle of soju costs about one-thirtieth the price of whiskey, yet could produce a similar effect when mixed properly,” said Lee, who also works as a liquor researcher at Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services.

Soju remains significantly cheaper than whiskey, largely due to its production method. As a diluted spirit, it is made by mixing highly refined ethanol with water and additives, a process that requires inexpensive ingredients and allows for large-scale manufacturing. Unlike whiskey, which often takes years to produce due to aging requirements, soju can be made in just a few days. It is also subject to far lower liquor taxes in Korea compared to whiskey.

“The West’s bomb shot spread to Korea, but since whiskey is expensive, Koreans replaced it with soju, also a type of distilled alcohol.”

Some use a spoon to mix the soju and beer. [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

Koreans are acrobatic drinkers. Other bomb shot options?

Heard of 50seju — “50se” meaning "50 years" — a mix of soju and Baekseju? Baekseju from the local traditional beverage maker Kook Soon Dang also means 100-year liquor, symbolizing the wish for a long and healthy life up to 100 years. With a mixture of soju at a rate of 1:1, it suggests 50 years.

Koreans’ love for unique drink mixes with local liquors has given rise to countless new combinations, each one becoming part of the country’s drinking culture.

Kkulju, or a "honey shot," is a nickname for a specific style of somaek, made by pouring about nine-tenths of a shot of soju into a soju glass and topping it with just one-tenth of a shot of beer. The name comes from its surprisingly smooth taste, often described as going down like honey.

With kkulju’s popularity, Lotte Chilsung’s Chum-Churum brand launched it as a brand product in 2022.

Chungseongju, or the “loyalty shot," is a somewhat more military or workplace-related drinking culture as a rite of passage to fit in with the atmosphere that involves balancing a shot glass of soju atop two chopsticks placed over a beer glass. With a shout of “chungseong,” which means loyalty, the drinker slams their forehead against the table, knocking the shot glass into the beer, then downs the explosive mix in one go.

Hoeworiju, or the “vortex shot,” involves dropping a shot glass filled with soju into a glass of beer, then swirling it like a vortex before drinking it all in one go. It has often been enjoyed by office workers during a hoesik, or office gatherings, to lighten the mood and strengthen bonds.

“Hoeworiju emerged as a way to lighten the mood in office gatherings in the 2000s. The many variations of somaek are often less about the taste and more about enhancing the atmosphere,” researcher Lee said.

“Most of these drinks are designed to be consumed as part of an experience, aligning with the trend of consuming alcohol as ‘content,’ not just for flavor.”

BY SARAH CHEA [[email protected]]