Serious drinkers propose a mixology built on Korean spirits — and how it pairs with food
In a world flooded with cocktails built on the usual high-proof bases — vodka, tequila, gin — this session set out to try something different: to create signature cocktails with Korean spirits as the base. Head Bartender Lim Jae-jin of Le Chamber tasted through nearly twenty Korean liquors and then built cocktails that hadn't existed before. He then poured them for a group of cocktail-loving drinkers from all walks of the industry. The focus wasn't just on how the cocktails tasted on their own, but on how they'd sit alongside a plate at a Korean barbecue table.
The cocktail built on Ki Soju used jujube syrup for a quiet sweetness, and got a garnish of perilla leaf — the very leaf you'd see on any Korean barbecue table — so the drink would visually echo the meal itself. A dried jujube crowned the top for another layer of texture. Something familiar and something new played out together, both inside the glass and across the whole table.
What if we took a cocktail everyone already knows, and rebuilt it on Korean spirits?
Alongside inventing new flavors and presentations, the team also tried variations on the classics using Korean liquors. They took cinnamon-forward Gamhongro as the base, mixed in Johnnie Walker Black and amaretto, and pulled the feel of a classic 'Godfather' close. A touch of red ginseng extract was added for a deeper aromatic finish. By keeping the result within reach of the classic, they were laying out a template — a nudge for other bartenders to swap in Korean spirits as their own base. The know-how was shared out in the open.
Right after that, participants including Hong Shin-ae — owner and chef of Salt — and Chef Cho Seo-hyung of Euljiro Boseok mixed up an on-the-spot drink using Gamhongro and perilla leaves at the barbecue table. It was proof, in real time, that any barbecue joint could pull off a cocktail with a similar profile, and everyone in the room agreed.
