Soju is a clear Korean spirit, usually bottled between 16% and 25% ABV. It is one of the highest-selling spirits in the world by volume, and most Americans have still never had it.
One correction before anything else. An earlier version of this page said you can drink a lot of soju without getting intoxicated. That is wrong and it has been removed. Soju is lower proof than vodka, but it is commonly served in larger pours, poured continuously by other people, and drunk in rounds. The serving culture more than makes up the difference in strength.
What soju actually is
A distilled spirit, traditionally from rice, now commonly from wheat, barley, sweet potato or tapioca. Korean law is relatively loose about the base ingredient, which is why bottles vary.
A standard 375ml bottle at 20% ABV contains roughly four standard drinks. Worth knowing, because the bottle is small and it is normally finished by one or two people over a meal.
The licensing quirk, which is the interesting part
Because soju sits below the ABV threshold for spirits in some states, a restaurant with only a beer and wine licence can serve it. California passed legislation specifically covering the sale of soju and shochu under a beer and wine permit, and New York operates similarly.
This is why Korean restaurants that serve no other liquor still have soju on the table. It is a licensing fact rather than a fact about the drink, and it explains more about where you encounter soju than anything about how it is made.
History
Distillation reached Korea via Mongol invaders in the 13th century, carrying techniques that trace back to Persian and Arab distilling. Rice distilling was banned for a period during and after the Korean War because of grain shortages, which pushed producers toward sweet potato, tapioca and wheat. Many major brands never went back.
How it is drunk
Soju is table drinking, taken with food. Korean has a specific word, anju, for food eaten alongside alcohol.
The customs around pouring are the part worth knowing if you are at a table with people who observe them:
- You do not pour your own. Someone else fills your glass and you fill theirs.
- Receive the glass with both hands, or one hand supporting the other arm, when the pourer is older or senior to you.
- Turning slightly away from the senior person to drink the first glass is a traditional courtesy.
The flip side of that custom is worth naming: when other people keep your glass filled, you lose track of how much you have had. Leaving a glass partly full is a normal way to slow the round down, since an empty glass is the cue to refill.
Soju and shochu are not the same thing
Soju is Korean. Shochu is Japanese, usually distilled from barley, sweet potato or rice, and typically bottled around 25%. US retailers often file them together, so you will see both under a soju heading. If a bottle is barrel-aged, it is almost certainly a shochu.
Three things to make with it
Yogurt soju
1.5 oz soju, 3 oz Korean-style yogurt drink, 3 oz lemon-lime soda. Shake the first two with ice, add the soda, strain.
Soju and apple
1.5 oz soju, 2 oz apple juice, shaken with ice and topped with seltzer. Granny Smith slice.
Cucumber cooler
Blend half a cup of cucumber with a quarter cup mint and strain. Shake 1.5 oz soju, 0.5 oz simple syrup, 1 oz lime juice and 2 tbsp of the puree with ice. Top with soda water.
Each of these is built on a 1.5 oz pour. The earlier version of this page used 3 oz, which is two drinks in one glass.
The fine print
What’s available depends on your address. Enter it and we’ll show you what’s in stock nearby. Delivery is $4.99, plus applicable taxes and fees, shown before you order, as fast as 25 minutes in the best case. Alcohol is 21 and up. ID at the door, every time, no exceptions and no negotiating with the driver.
