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Makgeolli is a fermented rice drink that is finding a new audience amongst South Korea’s younger generations. Originally popular amongst farmers, and once the nation’s most popular drink, it has now begun to pop up in cool city bars after a slump in the ‘90s and ‘00s.
One of those driving the revival is Kim Taek-Sang, who brews the semi-sweet liquor from his base in Seoul using a 300-year-old family recipe. Each batch of makgeolli takes roughly three months to brew. The end result is around six to eight percent proof, and can have either a milky or clear complexion. The drink is as equally popular amongst the older generations, as a smooth hit of nostalgia, as it is amongst fashionable younger crowds.
Watch the video from Great Big Story below and see another of their films further down, featuring incredible footage of the fastest mochi maker in Japan pounding the hell out of his mochi, whilst onlookers gasp.
Discover how to make makgeolli at home
Seoul, a City Tasting Tour
