“In January, Tokyo Walker magazine declared Korea’s rice wine the next big drink, saying that, like the highball, it’s cheap, relatively healthy, and proving popular with young women.
They’re right on all counts. Makgeolli sells for less than ¥500 a liter in Japan, is low in alcohol (5-7 percent), and its yogurty sourness comes from lactic acid, left over from fermentation, which science suggests can boost the immune system, lower cholesterol and reduce blood pressure. According to South Korean tax office figures, the drink is already a hit in Japan, with a whopping 89.6 percent of exported makgeolli heading here in 2008.
But the brew has an image problem. In its native land it’s also known by the nicknames nongju, wheju, chejuor takju, all of which connote hillbilly booze, and despite a history at least eight centuries long, it’s still usually sold in white plastic bottles at rock-bottom prices. While Japan’s rice brew became the drink of Shinto gods and emperors, its unfiltered Korean cousin has never been anything but hooch.”
Makgeolli
Metropolis, 4 March, 2010
“In January, Tokyo Walker magazine declared Korea’s rice wine the next big drink, saying that, like the highball, it’s cheap, relatively healthy, and proving popular with young women.
They’re right on all counts. Makgeolli sells for less than ¥500 a liter in Japan, is low in alcohol (5-7 percent), and its yogurty sourness comes from lactic acid, left over from fermentation, which science suggests can boost the immune system, lower cholesterol and reduce blood pressure. According to South Korean tax office figures, the drink is already a hit in Japan, with a whopping 89.6 percent of exported makgeolli heading here in 2008.
But the brew has an image problem. In its native land it’s also known by the nicknames nongju, wheju, chejuor takju, all of which connote hillbilly booze, and despite a history at least eight centuries long, it’s still usually sold in white plastic bottles at rock-bottom prices. While Japan’s rice brew became the drink of Shinto gods and emperors, its unfiltered Korean cousin has never been anything but hooch.”