By Kim Hwaya
Videos = Oh Hyun Woo, Hahm Hee-eun
Seoul | Aug. 2, 2019

Seoul's posh Cheongdam-dong neighborhood. A speakeasy-style bar, despite no sign, offers unique cocktails made of Korean food such as naengmyeon (cold noodles), kkaennip (perilla leaves), sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch) and samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup). Four Korea.net staff writers -- Kim Angel, Kim Meow, Kang Ginger and Song Ant -- hit this bar on a Friday night.

Angel: Kimchi and naengmyeon (cold noodles) cocktail. Many people still think of kimchi first when it comes to Korean food. I never imagined that a kimchi chip was attached to the cocktail. I've no idea what the chip tastes like, how is it?
Ginger: Umm, it's a little spicy and crunchy like a potato chip.
Meow: The taste makes the cocktail good for easing a hangover. That's why the name of the cocktail is "The Day After."
Ant: It tastes sour and a little salty like the soup of Pyeongyang naengmyeon. It brings out a distinctive flavor only available in Korea. I recommend it for someone who loves to try new things.



Meow: A green marble on a leaf attracts my attention. What is this cocktail?
Ant: This one is made of sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch), a traditional Korean dessert drink. The green marble is made from a garnish jelly imitating a rice cake that Korean usually eat with sujeonggwa.
Ginger: (After eating the jelly) It's soft and chewy like a rice cake. When I chew it, its sweetness spreads in my mouth. How's the cocktail?
Angel: It tastes like sujeonggwa but sweeter. The taste of cognac combines with cinnamon to create a unique flavor.


Ant: The next cocktail is made of kkaennip (perilla leaves), a vegetable featured in a Korea.net article in July.
Angel: Putting a sugar-coated kkaennip chip garnish on top of the cocktail is fun. The drink's green color matches the color of kkaennip. I can see that somebody is into gardening.
Meow: Actually, the cocktail's name is "Green Thumb," meaning someone who's good at gardening. The way of drinking this cocktail is fun as well. Lightly rub the rim of the glass coated with green tea salt to make the thumb green just like its name.
Ginger: (Thumbs up!) Its taste is refreshing. After biting the kkaennip chip and drinking the cocktail, the taste of kkaennip spreads throughout the mouth.



Ant: Finally, we have the samgyetang (ginger chicken soup) cocktail. This is served in a stone pot and just blows my mind. I dare not drink this.
Angel: I heard that a foreigner went to eat samgyetang after drinking this cocktail because he was so curious about the food. This cocktail uses the core ingredients for samgyetang such as ginseng and jujube but no chicken.
Ginger: I can smell the unique flavor of ginseng from the cocktail. How's the taste?
Meow: It's very soft and I can taste the sweetness of the jujube. If it's only sweet, I can't keep drinking it but the bitterness of ginseng combined with the salty taste make me want to drink more. It tastes like dark beer and is exactly my kind of cocktail. I want to drink another glass.
Everyone: (Laughs) Haha. Stop drinking!

Epilogue These K-cocktails are the creations of bartender Demie Kim, who seeks to promote Korean culture through cocktails. When asked about his next K-cocktail creation, he said he will try to make one with the flavor of Korean beef.

fayastory@korea.kr