Thirteen bottles you’ll see on every menu, the dishes they belong with, and the eight unwritten rules that keep a Korean drinking table polite.
The default soju. Fresh (green bottle) is 15.7%; Original is stronger at 20.1% (HiteJinro). Both are filtered through bamboo charcoal.
HiteJinro's retro-style soju with the toad mascot — 15.7%, the same strength as Chamisul Fresh.
Sweet, lower-strength soju. HiteJinro's grapefruit and green-grape versions are 13%; most of its other flavours are 12%.
Korea's default macro lager. Light, sessionable, ubiquitous.
HiteJinro lager carbonated only with CO₂ from its own fermentation, sold in a green bottle — the first regular Korean lager to use one.
Seoul has a lively craft-beer scene — look for taprooms in nightlife districts and brewery-run pubs.
Cloudy, slightly carbonated, ancient rice wine. Cheap, casual, perfect with rainy-day pajeon.
Premium makgeolli from small breweries — often less sweet, and some are naturally sparkling. Look for it at makgeolli bars and bottle shops.
Rice wine brewed with medicinal herbs; the name means "a hundred years". Smooth and earthy.
A National Intangible Heritage liquor (designated 1986). No pear goes into it, yet its aroma recalls the munbae wild pear — hence the name.
Traditional rice-distilled soju from Andong. Clean, hot, slightly sweet finish.
Korean office mixer: 1 shot soju + 7/10 glass beer. Sweet, smooth, deadly.
Stack soju shot into beer (polish bomb) or mix soju + yakult + sprite (yakult bomb). Party tricks.