Soju Party: How to Drink (and Eat!) Like a Korean

Drinking is an essential part of Korean culture, one that’s guided by a complex web of unspoken rules, deep tradition, and lots and lots of food.

With Soju Party, food writer, chef, and co-owner of Brooklyn’s Orion Bar Irene Yoo has written the book on drinking like a Korean. She introduces the classic Korean alcohols and how Koreans typically like to drink them, including the viral Milkis Shot and a heart-stopping Seoul Train, and serves up unique cocktail recipes featuring Korean-inspired riffs and nostalgic twists, like a Jujube Ginseng Negroni and a Banana Milk makgeolli.

Of course, you can’t drink without eating, and there are plenty of recipes for tasty anju (drinking foods), from simple snacks like the salty and sweet Honey-Butter Bar Nuts to essential comfort food like the savory White Ddukbokki and the super slurpable Kimchi Carbonara, with a dedicated party section featuring a large-format Watermelon Soju Hwachae and sweet-and-spicy Chimaek Chicken. In addition to recipes, Yoo explores the history of Korean drinking, with illustrations explaining proper serving and drinking etiquette, drinking games, food pairings, and more.

A book that promises late nights (don’t worry, there’s a section on hangovers!), this is a party on the page.

Geonbae!

IRENE YOO is a food writer, recipe developer, creator (Yooeating), YouTube cohost (KA KA Studio), and the chef and co-owner of Orion Bar in Brooklyn. Raised in Los Angeles and Seoul, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and previously worked as a photo and video producer for Food Network. Her recipes and essays have appeared on foodnetwork.com, on Food52, and in Food & Wine, and she has spoken about Korean culinary history at the Korea Society and the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD). She has been featured in The New York Times, The Korea Times, and Bon Appétit.

Source: publisher’s website