Distillers selling alcohol, advice on how to drink it

Distillers, stunned by the slowdown in liquor sales, are devising new ways to serve alcoholic beverages to promote their products and invigorate sales.
“We sell not only alcohol but also ways to drink it,” a marketing official at a local distiller said.
“I realized the importance of how drinks are served and how this can affect sales with oh sip se ju,” said Han Sa Hong, a director of Kook Soon Dang Brewery Co. Ltd. Oh sip se ju (pronounced o-sip-sa-ju) is made with ginseng wine, bek se ju (bak-sa-ju), and so ju, a strong alcoholic beverage made from sweet potatoes.
One must question the lure of this mixed drink, however, since according to Korean fokelore drinking bek se ju will give you a life of 100 years, whereas oh sip se ju will guarantee a life of only 50 years.
But Mr. Han is convinced new ways to serve drinks will lift revenue. “Sales of beer climbed as various drinking methods, like drinking beer with ice, became popular,” he said.
Kook Soon Dang is organizing an event this month whose theme is “bek se ju on the rocks.” The company said it was marketing the liquor, which has a low alcohol content, to young people, who preferred a lighter drink.
“We are planning to market bek se ju on the rocks through portable bars on beaches all over the country until 10th of August. Also we are going to have samplings in major discount stores, with a massive publicity campaign in August,” said a Kook Soon Dang official.
QZ, a company specializing in beer, recently introduced “on the rocks fruit soju.” The beverage is prepared by digging a hole into a watermelon or pineapple and poring into the void fruit juice, soju and ice. QZ focuses its sales efforts on women, with a “courtesy campaign.”
Winenara, specializing in (what else) wine, introduced “red wine ice flakes” and “red wine sherbet.”
In its advertising, the firm touts the aroma of wine and ice flakes.

by Choi Ik-jae