Korean Drinking Culture🍻 Etiquette, Customs and Cocktails
Know More About the Mind-Blowing Drinking Culture in Korea!! Plus Best Korean Cocktail Recipes
Have you heard about how the nightlife in Korea typically never ends?
Most of the drinking spots operate throughout the night until the sun rises!
You will find hotspots being crowded even till 7 am. This is a common sight everywhere in Korea.
Korea has a long history when it comes to its drinking culture and how Korean people enjoy drinking on every occasion. Let’s unravel some interesting facts about Korea’s drinking culture!
⬇️ Find out what interests you most below!
Korean Drinking Culture || Customs of the Korean Dating Culture
Korean Drinking Culture || Drinking Occassions
Korean Drinking Culture || Must-Know Drinking Etiquette
Korean Drinking Culture || Special Korean Cocktails
Korean Drinking Culture || Best Food Pairings with Korean Drinks
Korean Drinking Culture || Korean Phrases You Can Use
Korean Drinking Culture || Summary of Korean words
Korean Drinking Culture || FAQs
Cheers ~
Korean Drinking Culture ll What is it about?
It’s all about Korean culture and traditions
Korea’s drinking culture is deeply rooted in its way of living, social and hierarchy structure, and most importantly, traditions.
The drinking culture in Korea is an art of socialization as it helps to form and strengthen ties between family members and friends. It is also very common for co-workers to be meeting up for drinks after work frequently. Rewarding themselves for working hard and also relieves work stress! WORK HARD, PLAY HARD CULTURE INDEED 🤩
With a long history since ancient Korea, the existence and consumption of alcohol have shaped how Korea’s drinking culture is now and has greatly infused into the everyday socialization in Korean culture.
Hopping from place to place is the norm
In Korea, we call it the first round 일차 , the second round 이차 , and so on.
Going for the first round of drinks at the initial hang-out place and moving on to the second place for the next round.
Do you know that there could be as many as 5 rounds of drinking on the same night? The high intensity of Korea’s drinking culture is amazing, isn’t it?
Korean alcohol is cheap
Another reason why alcohol can be widely enjoyed is due to its cheap price!
You will find Korean soju 소주 priced at approximately KRW 2,000 at convenience stores. When you visit restaurants or bars, they cost about KRW 4,000 too!
Alcohol is conveniently accessible and since it is highly affordable, it has become a necessity when it comes to the Korean lifestyle.
Korean Drinking Culture ll What are some drinking occasions?
Festive Occasions
Seollal 설날 , or the Korean New Year, is an occasion where families gather around to spend time together.
During this time, delicious Seollal food will be prepared and enjoyed together, playing traditional games, and not to forget enjoying traditional drinks like Soju, beer and Makgeolli 막걸리 , also known as rice wine.
Another important festival in Korea is Chuseok 추석 , Korean Thanksgiving Day. Spending Chuseok is similar to how Koreans celebrate Seollal.
Seollal 설날 // Korean New Year Explained (2025)
Seollal 설날 is the biggest and most important public holiday in South Korea. Find out what Koreans do on this day, when it falls, and learn some vocabulary!
Company gatherings
One very unique trait about the Korean culture is the high occurrence of company gatherings 회식 . The call for a gathering could be to celebrate success within the team, to welcome a new joiner, or simply just to de-stress after a long week of hard work.
👉 Reasons are plenty but enjoying drinks together is a must-do activity!
While there used to be an “unspoken rule” to be present at these company gatherings no matter how tired or busy one may be, things might have been a little different recently.
Depending on the situation, you can choose to attend or skip it, without pressure of course. It’s all about drinking respectfully and responsibly!
BONUS || Want to learn how to order a coffee in Korean? ☕
Night out with friends
Party till the sun rises! Sounds like a common trend among young adults regardless of which generation, right?
No exception when it comes to nightlife in Korea. Especially when the bars and clubs operate till 7 am – even more opportunities to go club-hopping and meet new friends along the way!
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Korean Drinking Culture ll Must-know Drinking Etiquette
In a country like Korea where giving respect is highly valued in terms of age and social hierarchy, there is a set of rules for drinking behaviour. What are they?
Looking away and turning to the side
One good example will be during a company gathering! Imagine yourself seated at the same table with your managers or colleagues older than you.
In this scenario, you must tilt your body slightly to the side, and look away while drinking from your glass. It is also important to cover your mouth as you take your sip.
Pour glass and receive with both hands
As you fill someone else’s glass, you should hold onto the bottle with both hands and similarly also hold your glass with both hands when you receive it from others.
Don’t fill your glass
When you’ve emptied your glass, do not try to fill your glass eagerly. Like how you will pour someone else’s glass, they will do it for you too! This gesture shows how much Korean people take social events seriously and their effects on forming and strengthening ties with one another.
Korean drinking culture ll Special Korean cocktails
Korean traditional alcohol
Let’s start with some of the Korean representative alcohols such as soju, beer, and makgeolli.
Soju 소주 origin dates back to the Goryeo dynasty and has become the top-consumed alcohol in the country and also gained much popularity abroad. Soju is a clear distilled alcohol and is usually consumed without any mixer or ice. Nonetheless, fruit-flavoured soju such as peach, strawberry, grapefruit, and many others are massively produced to allow foreigners or beginners to enjoy it easily.
Beer 맥주 is another national favourite! Korean brands like Hite, Cass, Terra, and Hanmac are top favourites. Do you know that soju mixed with beer is called somaek 소맥 ? A very popular alcoholic beverage on any occasion!
Makgeolli 막걸리 , is one of Korea’s oldest alcoholic drinks. It is a cloudy white, lightly sparkling rice wine that tastes sweet and slightly bitter. Similar to soju, makgeolli has come in different flavours in recent years. A few of the more interesting flavours include banana and chestnut, making it sweeter than the regular makgeolli.
Korean flavored alcohol
Besides flavoured soju and makgeolli, there are other unique flavoured alcohols. Let’s unravel them!
Maesilju 매실주 , or plum wine is made by infusing dried plums into soju for 100 days. It tastes light and fruity!
Baekseju 백세주 is a fermented alcoholic beverage using Korean glutinous rice blended with herbs and ginseng. Baekseju, when translated directly, refers to ‘100 years old alcohol’, it is said that drinking baekseju can lengthen your lifespan to 100 years old!
Bokbunja-ju 복분자주 is a wine made by fermenting black raspberry with water. The result of fermenting black raspberry gives the wine its deep red colour and tastes moderately sweet.
Special Korean cocktails
The best cocktail pairing is Somaek 소맥 !
A mixture of soju and maekju which gives the drink its name. The fizziness of the beer mixed with the smooth-flavoured soju makes it lighter and easier to consume as compared to its high alcohol content. Surprisingly, it has this tinge of sweetness when ingested. You must try this one day!
A popular party alcoholic beverage is Frizzy Yoghurt Soju.
The recipe for this easy-to-make drink is simply mixing Yakult, sprite, and soju. The sweet tangy flavours combined altogether, making it an absolute star of the party!
Korean people love coffee and soju, so why not infuse them together?
There are many variations of coffee-based alcoholic drinks around the world, and now this is the Korean version of it! This might be the simplest recipe of them all, you just need soju and the coffee of your choice. It could be milk or black coffee, any way you prefer it!
There is nothing odd about adding ice cream to your cocktail right? We have the Melona soju cocktail for you!
Melona is an ice cream bar brand, and it is famous for its melon-flavored ice cream bar. When you add Melona, sprite, and soju, you get a frizzy, creamy melon-flavored soju cocktail. This easy-to-drink recipe remains one of the top choices for Korean cocktails.
Great for parties, the Watermelon soju is an all-time favourite!
Also known as the Subak Soju 수박소주 , it is made by pouring the blended watermelon soju mix into the watermelon shell which serves as a bowl. A burst of flavours from the fresh and juicy watermelon and soju! *Add milkis (milk soda) or milk to give it a creamy texture.
Korean drinking culture ll Best food pairings with alcohol
Apart from the drinking culture, Korea is also famous for its extensive food culture. Let’s find out what foods go well with Korean alcoholic drinks!
Food combinations
Soju + Samgyeopsal 삼겹살 , grilled pork belly
Soju + Yukgaejang 육개장 , spicy beef soup
Soju + Haemulgui 해물구이 , grilled seafood
Beer + Korean fried chicken. In short, we call this combination 치맥
Beer + Tteokbokki 떡볶이 , stir-fried rice cakes & fried foods
Beer + Jokbal 족발 , pig’s feet
Makgeolli + Pajeon 파전 , green onion pancake
Makgeolli + Kimchijeon 김치전 , kimchi pancake
Makgeolli + Bossam 보쌈 , boiled pork slices
*A Korean term for food consumed with alcohol is called anju 안주 . It can include both main or side dishes.
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Hangover food cures
Korea has one of the best hangover food remedies and surprisingly, they are mostly hot and spicy soups!
Haejang Guk 해장국 , literally translated to ‘hangover soup’, ox bone broth with soybean paste
Seolleongtang 설렁탕 , ox bone soup
Kongnamulguk 콩나물국 , bean sprout soup
Bugeoguk 북어국 , dried pollock soup
Ramyeon 라면 , Korean instant noodles
Korean drinking culture ll Korean phrases you can use during drinking sessions
When you want to say cheers:
Geon-bae 건배 , similar to the expression ‘bottom’s up.’
When you want to say it is refreshing or delicious:
Si-won-hae-yo 시원해요 is used to express how refreshing the drink is.
Ma-si-sseo-yo 맛있어요 , it is delicious.
When you want to say that you will be paying this time:
I-beon-e-neun jae-ga sa-jul-ge-yo 이번에는 재가 사줄게요
When it is late and you want to tell your friends that you’re leaving:
Si-gan-i neu-jeo-sseu-ni-kka meon-jeo ga-ge-sseo-yo 시간이 늦었으니까 먼저 가겠어요
When you want to say let’s meet again next time:
Da-eum-e tto man-na-ja 다음에 또 만나자 *this is casual tone
Korean drinking culture ll Summary of Korean words
| KOREAN | TRANSLITERATION | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 소주 | So-ju | Korean distilled alcohol |
| 막걸리 | Mak-geol-li | Korean rice wine |
| 맥주 | Maek-ju | Beer |
| 일차 | il-cha | First round (of drinks) |
| 이차 | i-cha | Second round (of drinks) |
| 설날 | Seol-lal | Korean New Year |
| 추석 | Chu-seok | Korean Thanksgiving Day |
| 회식 | Hoe-sik | Company gatherings |
| 소맥 | So-maek | Beer + Soju mix |
| 매실주 | Mae-sil-ju | Plum wine |
| 백세주 | Baek-se-ju | 100 years old alcohol |
| 복분자주 | Bok-bun-ja-ju | Black raspberry wine |
| 수박소주 | Su-bak-so-ju | Watermelon soju |
| 삼겹살 | Sam-gyeop-sal | Grilled pork belly |
| 육개장 | Yuk-gae-jang | Spicy beef soup |
| 해물구이 | Hae-mul-gu-i | Grilled seafood |
| 치킨 | Chi-kin | Korean fried chicken |
| 치맥 | Chi-maek | Korean fried chicken + beer combination |
| 떡볶이 | Tteok-bok-ki | Stir-fried rice cakes |
| 족발 | Jok-bal | Pig’s feet |
| 파전 | Pa-jeon | Green onion pancake |
| 김치전 | Kim-chi-jeon | Kimchi pancake |
| 보쌈 | Bo-ssam | Boiled pork slices |
| 안주 | An-ju | Food consumed with alcohol |
| 해장국 | Hae-jang-guk | Hangover soup |
| 설렁탕 | Seol-leong-tang | Ox bone soup |
| 콩나물국 | Kong-na-mul-guk | Bean sprout soup |
| 북어국 | Bu-geo-guk | Dried pollock soup |
| 라면 | Ra-myeon | Korean instant noodles |
Now we’ve come to the end of our article on Korea’s drinking culture, tell us in the comments which Korean alcohol or food pairings are your favourite!
Korean Drinking Culture || FAQs
What is the Korean drinking culture?
The drinking culture in Korea is an art of socialization as it helps to form and strengthen ties between family members and friends.
WORK HARD, PLAY HARD CULTURE!
Why is the drinking etiquette so important to the Korean people?
Respect is highly valued in Korean culture and traditions. The act of turning to the side, holding with both hands and helping others fill their glasses is how Koreans embrace their roots of being respectful and polite. The drinking etiquette in Korea shows how mannerisms have played a great play in their social and personal lives. It is a highly regarded virtue in Korean culture.
Which food pairings are most recommended?
Although all pairings are popular, to get the best Korean food + alcohol experience, try these 3 below:
Soju + Samgyeopsal [삼겹살], grilled pork belly
Beer + Korean fried chicken
Makgeolli + Pajeon [파전], green onion pancake
Where can I learn more about studying in Korea?
If you find our article interesting and wish to learn more about the Korean language, read our article on basic Korean phrases or consider taking up a Korean class with us!
You may also want to keep yourself updated on our blog! We post articles on Korean culture, language, and many more!
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