Behind The Bar: Winter 2018

Sometimes being on the nose is appropriate. We’re on a Korean-inspired drinks kick this month, helping us get into the spirit for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Luckily, the DMV offers a handful of fun options for people who want to try Korean libations, and we picked a few to highlight before the Olympics kick off on February 9.

Sophie Shin
General Manager, BUL

On Tap: BUL specializes in comfort Korean foods, but what about Korean comfort drinks?
Sophie Shin: We always recommend certain beers with our fried chicken, and certain stuff like our spicy soups go well with our soju, a rice liquor. Anything grilled also goes well with soju.

OT: What are some popular Korean cocktails?
SS: Korean cocktails are very simple, and most of them have a base of soju. A lot of the times, for us, the most popular thing is mixing it with beer. It’s called somek, and it’s the most common drink here. Some of the other trendy things we have here is mixing soju with certain juices and fruits.

OT: What’s your favorite cocktail to make?
SS: For winter, we sell a lot of hot sake, because it’s warm and easy to drink. Flavored sojus are also always very popular, and we have apple, peach and citron.

OT: What would you serve to winning Olympians? What about the losing athletes? 
SS: I think a somek bomb. Basically, you line up a row of beer and you drop the soju glasses inside the beers like dominoes. I think it’s fun and showy. For the athletes who lose, I would say go with a stronger soju.

Sophie’s Pick
Somek Bomb
Korean beer
Shot of soju

BUL: 2431 18 St. NW, DC; www.buldc.com

Philip Anova
Beverage Manager, Mandu

On Tap: Tell me a little bit about your sojutinis. Is this a strict group of cocktails inspired by Korean fare, or is it a combination of Korean and American drink cultures?
Philip Anova: For the sojutinis, that’s pretty much all Korean. In Korea, they have these juices – basically things you grow up drinking as a kid – and we thought it would be a great idea to make cocktails with them.

OT: Tell us about one of your most popular cocktails.
PA: One of our bestsellers is the Smokey Korean; it’s a cocktail made with gochugaru pepper flakes, and I made simple syrup out of those.

OT: What’s your creative process when concocting these formulas?
PA: When I get a chance to mess around with some of the ingredients we’re using on our menu, I can have a field day. It’s really the tiny differences that give it a different cultural touch.

OT: What Korean drink would you recommend for winning athletes at the Olympics? And those trying to cope with their loss?
PA: We have a drink on our menu called a No Way Rosé, and we made our sour mix based off of Korean tea. For winners, you want a little bubbly, which is what this drink entails. For the losers, I think a straight shot of soju.

Philip’s Pick
Smokey Korean 
El Silencio mezcal
Gochugaru simple syrup
Yzaguirre sweet vermouth

Mandu: 453 K St. NW, DC; www.mandudc.com

Joohyun Gil (pictured) and Jae Kim
Co-Owners, DAK! Chicken

On Tap: Tell us about your rice wine cocktail, and the different styles of sojus you have.
Jae Kim: When customers come into a Korean restaurant, we want to give them an authentic experience, so that’s why we came up with several of our cocktails. The rice wine drinks are rare in Korea, because of the naturally bitter taste of the wine, but when you mix it with bitters and other flavors, it can taste fun.

OT: What drinks best complement your chicken?
Joohyun Gil: We have two types of Korean beers, and they’re probably our best sellers. You want a light beer with the fried food, and those two are perfect.

OT: What’s current favorite on the drink menu?
JK: My favorite is the rice wine variant with peach in it. I’m not usually a sweet drinker, but the drink has vodka in it as well, so it gives a good buzz. Rice wine is pretty light, but when you add in the vodka, it gets stronger.

OT: What do you think the Olympic winners and losers should drink in Pyeongchang?
JK: I think for a winner, probably a somek bomb. It’s a common celebratory drink. For the losers, you have to get something strong, but they should celebrate too; it’s a tremendous honor to make it there. I’ll have to come up with something for them.

Joohyun and Jae’s Pick
Rice Wine Cocktail
Rice wine
Peach rice wine
Vodka
Sprite
Cordials

DAK! Chicken: 4040 Campbell Ave. Arlington, VA; www.dakchicken.com