The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Senior US general warns of possible looming war with China

  • 3

    BLACKPINK sets 6 more Guinness records

  • 5

    Jang Keun-suk steps out of his comfort zone with 'The Bait'

  • 7

    ENA's new dating show to spotlight young adult's romance

  • 9

    Cabinet ministries turn deaf ear to watchdog's advice on sexual minorities

  • 11

    Seoul to work with Hanoi to pursue peace on Korean peninsula

  • 13

    Korea's rice consumption hits another low in 2022: data

  • 15

    To speak Korean

  • 17

    SK E&S retains gov't support for Barossa gas project in Australia

  • 19

    Indonesia celebrates 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Korea via virtual event

  • 2

    People attempt to cut surging heating costs with creative solutions

  • 4

    National pension anticipated to be fully drained in 2055: NPS

  • 6

    TXT brings together 'pansori' and fairy tale in new song 'Sugar Rush Ride'

  • 8

    Bad weather disrupts operation of Jeju airport again after 3 days

  • 10

    More Korean manufacturers enjoy Georgia's hospitality

  • 12

    Superintendent of Seoul Education Office gets suspended jail term

  • 14

    Opposition leader Lee claims innocence in corruption probe

  • 16

    Police to build disaster prediction system to prevent recurrence of Itaewon tragedy

  • 18

    12 websites still unavailable after Chinese cyberattacks

  • 20

    LGES to capitalize on US IRA, Tesla partnership to continue record earnings

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Sun, January 29, 2023 | 14:05
Art of drinking soju and beer cocktail
Posted : 2013-02-03 14:42
Updated : 2013-02-03 14:42
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Actress Han Hyo-joo 'manufactures' the hurricane soju and beer cocktail in the movie 'Bandage.' / Courtesy of Bandage
Actress Han Hyo-joo "manufactures" the hurricane soju and beer cocktail in the movie "Bandage." / Courtesy of Bandage

By Kim Da-ye

Actress Han Hyo-joo 'manufactures' the hurricane soju and beer cocktail in the movie 'Bandage.' / Courtesy of Bandage
Glasses for somac designed by Hite Jinro
Actress Han Hyo-joo 'manufactures' the hurricane soju and beer cocktail in the movie 'Bandage.' / Courtesy of Bandage
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.

Emailkimdaye@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
wooribank
Top 10 Stories
1People attempt to cut surging heating costs with creative solutions People attempt to cut surging heating costs with creative solutions
2Cabinet ministries turn deaf ear to watchdog's advice on sexual minorities Cabinet ministries turn deaf ear to watchdog's advice on sexual minorities
3More Korean manufacturers enjoy Georgia's hospitality More Korean manufacturers enjoy Georgia's hospitality
4Seoul to work with Hanoi to pursue peace on Korean peninsula Seoul to work with Hanoi to pursue peace on Korean peninsula
5Superintendent of Seoul Education Office gets suspended jail term Superintendent of Seoul Education Office gets suspended jail term
6SK E&S retains gov't support for Barossa gas project in Australia SK E&S retains gov't support for Barossa gas project in Australia
7Indonesia celebrates 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Korea via virtual event Indonesia celebrates 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Korea via virtual event
8LGES to capitalize on US IRA, Tesla partnership to continue record earnings LGES to capitalize on US IRA, Tesla partnership to continue record earnings
9Cambodian ministers highlight potential for growth, cooperation Cambodian ministers highlight potential for growth, cooperation
10KT&G aims to become global top-tier company KT&G aims to become global top-tier company
Top 5 Entertainment News
1BLACKPINK sets 6 more Guinness records BLACKPINK sets 6 more Guinness records
2Jang Keun-suk steps out of his comfort zone with 'The Bait' Jang Keun-suk steps out of his comfort zone with 'The Bait'
3TXT brings together 'pansori' and fairy tale in new song 'Sugar Rush Ride' TXT brings together 'pansori' and fairy tale in new song 'Sugar Rush Ride'
4Shunsuke Michieda overwhelmed by Korean fans' support for his coming-of-age film Shunsuke Michieda overwhelmed by Korean fans' support for his coming-of-age film
5ENA's new dating show to spotlight young adult's romance ENA's new dating show to spotlight young adult's romance
DARKROOM
  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

  • World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

    World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

wooribank
CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group