It's no exaggeration to say that two words -- "integration" and "harmony" -- are keywords that represent modern society today. Everything is integrated and can be reproduced in harmony, and it can be found everywhere around us.

This trend can also be seen in alcohol consumption habits as well. Created by the Korean Food Foundation and SK Happy F&C, a new collection of cocktail recipes has recently been published. They're made using traditional liquors and are presented as casual cocktails, a fresh combination of the old and the new.

The Korean Food Foundation shared a total of nine cocktail recipes with us, along with food recipes that go well with the beverages. They are simple and easy to make, and even unskilled chefs can try them at home.


Gosori Citron Shrub

This cocktail is made from Gosoriju, an alcohol produced on Jeju Island. The name comes from the regional dialect word for a distiller. Made from millet, straight Gosori is quite high in alcohol content, at over 40 percent. The alcohol content, however, is reduced to about 15 or 20 percent when it is transformed into a cocktail. It's characterized by a fresh citron aroma and flavor. It goes well with fish.

Ingredients:
45 milliliters of Gosoriju liquor
Three slices of lemon
Two teaspoons of brown sugar
Some slices of Citrus junos
10 milliliters of tonic water
Some crushed ice

Preparation:
1. Place the brown sugar in the bottom of a tumbler. Squeeze the lemon slices with a spoon to get some lemon juice.
2. Add the crushed ice and pour the Gosori and tonic water over top. Mix it all together.
3. Garnish with slices of Citrus junos.



Hansan Ginger On the Rock

This cocktail is made with Hansan Sogokju, a sweet and delicious liquor with a fragrance of chrysanthemums. It's a healthy liquor made from glutinous rice. The alcohol content is quite low, at about 18 percent. It's easy to lose the fragrance when mixed with other ingredients that have stronger flavors. It's good to eat with nuts.

Ingredients:
45 milliliters of Hansan Sogokju
45 milliliters of ginger ale
10 slices of ginger
Ice cubes

Preparation:
1. Add the thin slices of ginger to a glass.
2. Fill the glass with ice cubes and pour on the Sogokju and ginger ale.


SOL Tonic

This is a variation on the classic gin and tonic. It's made with Solsongju, a liquor with a history of some 500 years produced by Park Heung-seon, a master of traditional alcohol. The drink is high in alcohol content, at about 40 percent. Made from the buds and needles of the pine tree, it gives off a fresh and natural aroma. With the addition of some rosemary, the scent is enhanced even more. It goes well with both meat and fish dishes.

Ingredients:
30 milliliters of Solsongju
90 milliliters of tonic water
some twigs of rosemary

Preparation:
1. Pour the Solsongju and tonic water into a glass.
2. Add some rosemary to the drink to enhance the scent.


Raw octopus meatballs

It's recommended to prepare an aperitif of raw octopus meatballs in a pine nut sauce to enjoy with the above cocktails. These bite-sized balls are a combination of chuck tender and octopus. The nut sauce has a very light flavor, so you can enjoy the original texture and flavor of the meats.

Ingredients:
200 grams of chuck tender
Two octopuses
10 grams of crushed green onions
10 grams of crushed spicy peppers
4 grams of pine nut powder
45 grams of crushed pine nuts

For seasoning:
90 grams of pear juice
15 grams of crushed garlic
90 grams of sesame oil
75 grams of sugar
15 grams of salt
2 grams of pepper

Preparation:
1. Remove the sinews of the chuck tender and slice it into five millimeter strips.
2. Wash the octopus in salty water, dry it with a towel and dice it neatly.
3. Squeeze the juice out of a pear and process the garlic and ginger in a food processor.
4. Mix the outcome of step No. three with the prepared meat and octopus. Add the pine nut sauce on top.

By Lee Seung-ah
Recipes and photos: Korean Food Foundation
Korea.net Staff Writer
slee27@korea.kr