The most commonly known and consumed alcohol in Korea is 소주 (See post 10/25/2008 for more on 소주), but did you know that there are other varieties of alcohol in Korea?

약주 literally means “medicinal alcohol”. According to legend, there once was a woman who became sick after her husband’s death. She made herself some 약주 and was instantly cured of her illness. From then on there was a rumor in the village that this 약주 was a medicinal drink. Although it’s debatable as to whether 약주 is a medicine, what’s certain is that it’s a type of Korean rice wine in which the rice has been fermented into an alcoholic drink.

문배주 is distilled liquor. It’s brewed from rice, sorghum, wheat, millet and 누룩. 누룩 is a fungus used in alcohol brewing. 문배주 is known for it’s pear-like fragrance, even though no pears are used in the actual brewing. It’s said that 문배주 originated from a peasant who presented 문배주 to a king. The king was so impressed he made this peasant into a high ranking government official.

백세주 is made by brewing glutinous rice, ginseng and eleven other herbs together. 백세주 literally means one hundred years wine. Due to the medicinal qualities of ginseng and the herbs, it’s said that drinking this wine will allow you to live for a hundred years. This wine isn’t as popular as the other drinks because of its image as an old fashioned drink and high price.

탁주, also known as 막걸리, is a sweet, milky beverage made from rice. 탁주 is often stirred with a spoon or shaken before serving. This is done so as to make some of the rice residue dissolve. The origins of 탁주 come from the farmers who used to make this rice beverage at home. Since 탁주 is basically unrefined rice wine, even farmers could make it without a sophisticated refinery. There’s only about 6-7% alcohol in 탁주.