Art of drinking soju and beer cocktail

Actress Han Hyo-joo "manufactures" the hurricane soju and beer cocktail in the movie "Bandage." / Courtesy of Bandage

By Kim Da-ye

Glasses for somac designed by Hite Jinro

While a glass of vodka is a means of socializing with Russians, "somac," a mixture of beer and soju, is ever-present at most dinners with Korean businessmen.

Gone are the days when Koreans mixed beer with whiskey, as soju, a clear Korean liquor similar to vodka, is much milder and cheaper and the choice of the masses.

Over time, drinkers have developed various ways to mix beer and soju — a process, which somac fanatics call "manufacturing."

Manufacturing is a serious business, and Hite Jinro, a major domestic brewer, even began issuing the Soju & Beer License or S.B.L., a tongue-in-cheek certificate given out to the somac enthusiasts.

As part of marketing activities, Hite Jinro, the outcome of a merger between the country's largest beer brewer and soju maker, provided the license to 100 people who posted their own somac recipes on its blog site, beer2day.com. Global sensation Psy has one.

This reporter doesn't support drinking this cocktail or drinking in general, but this article is intended to inform foreign businessmen who aren't familiar with the quirky culture of "manufacturing somac."

Basic somac

There are no rigid rules for mixing soju and beer, and it's up to the "manufacturer" what the ratio between the two drinks will be. Some people, however, try to find the golden ratio, and manufacturers are often put under pressure to make a good one. A well mixed somac should retain the freshness of beer and the strength of soju so that it can be savored while it passes smoothly down the throat.

When Bohae, a distiller of fruit liquor, surveyed 1,860 people online in 2010, 70 percent replied that their golden ratio was 30 percent soju to 70 percent beer. There are even glasses with a gradation system on the side indicating how much soju to mix on different occasions. Hite Jinro developed one of their own, and has distributed it to restaurants and pubs.

Somac is served in Korean-style beer glasses with sizes ranging from 200ml to 250ml. A soju shot glass is 60ml. In 2010, the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy introduced a standard for beer glasses — 200ml capacity, 110mm tall, 55mm-wide diameter for the bottom of the glass and 60mm-wide for the top. Somac enthusiasts welcomed the move saying it would enable consistency in taste.

During a drinking session, people manufacture for the whole group in rotation. During the process, glasses are swapped around, and you are very likely to drink from a glass that has been touched by many lips.

Below are variations of mixing and drinking somac.

Hurricane

This is an old-fashioned type of somac. Fill a glass to your liking. Cover the top with a tissue and grab it in a way that the palm covers the top. Twist your wrist sharply to mix the contents and create a swirl inside. The swirl resembles a miniature hurricane, from which the name of the cocktail is derived. The tissue usually gets wet in the process, and some people throw it vertically to try and stick it on the ceiling.

For women, add an ice cube to the glass. The ice shines under lighting, an effect that gave the mixture the name "diamond."

Hole-in-one

Almost completely fill the beer glass with beer and soju. If you drink it down in one gulp, it is called a hole-in-one. In two gulps, an eagle is achieved. In three gulps, a birdie is scored. Four gulps is a par.

Achieving a hole-in-one is tremendously difficult, so some heavy drinkers even practice learning how to keep their throat open while the alcohol passes down it.

People often bet money on someone achieving a hole-in-one somac. Those whose scores are below par usually win money. To judge accurately, closely watch the neck of a person drinking to count the number of swallows made.

Air force one

This is another variation of somac that requires some guts to try. Fill two glasses with beer and soju mixed to your preferred ratio. Hold one in each hand. While drinking from one glass, pause and pour beer from the other glass into the one from which you're drinking.

Downing the contents of both glasses in perfect synchronization without soaking your tie is the most desired outcome. Most people fail to achieve this during the first few tries.

Controlling the angle between the two glasses and the speed of pouring liquor from one to the other is a critical skill needed to prevent any spills.

Cappuccino

Drop a whiskey shot glass inside the beer glass. Pour soju into the shot glass, and fill the remaining space with beer until the whiskey glass floats to the rim. Cover the top with a tissue, and smash the top hard with the palm of your free hand. Be careful not to break the glass.

On impact, thick foam will form. This— believe or not — resembles the cappuccino foam while the remaining liquor will be smooth like Guinness.