[ad_1]
Whereas beef is often paired with red wine, there’s one other liquor that’s equally wonderful with steak — Korean soju. This clean and gentle liquor is extremely standard in Korean cuisine, a lot in order that the distinctive inexperienced bottles of the alcohol are a standard sight on any desk piled excessive with Korean barbecue.
However the world of soju is loads various, with various taste profiles from floral to peppery to notes of pine. To information us on this journey, we sought out Kyungmoon Kim, a Grasp Sommelier at Wangbi, an unique 12-seat chef’s counter-tasting menu in New York’s Koreatown.
“Pairing is all about concord and creating synergy between meals and beverage,” mentioned Kim. “And there may be nothing higher than accompanying genuine Korean sool with Korean meals. Every thing simply falls in the proper locations.”
What’s soju?
First, soju is a sort of sool, a broad class of conventional Korean alcohol, reminiscent of milky makgeolli (막걸리) or the clear chungju (청주) constituted of rice. In Kim’s opinion, sool is deeply rooted within the material of Korean tradition.
“These drinks are crafted utilizing conventional strategies and sometimes have distinctive flavors and traits that set them aside from Western spirits,” explains Kim. “Sool manufacturing and consumption have deep cultural and social significance in Korea, and they’re loved in a wide range of social settings, together with household gatherings, particular events, and conventional ceremonies.”
Soju is the best-known alcohol on this household of sool alcoholic drinks. Historically, soju was made by distilling rice chungju and, based on Kim, “has a really distinct taste of candy rice.” Nonetheless, most standard soju (mostly present in a inexperienced bottle) is produced at scale and, in Kim’s opinion, a relatively “flavorless alcohol.” And as an alternative of rice, standard soju is constituted of a mix of grains, candy potatoes, or tapioca. Typically, that is the kind of soju most individuals have tasted at their favourite Korean barbecue eating places.
For a greater soju expertise, Kim has some suggestions, together with Gained Soju, made by Korean American musician Jay Park; Seoul Evening Plum Soju, double distillation of golden plum with a floral aroma; aromatic pine-flavored Damsoul Pine Soju, and Samhae Soju, which Kim considers essentially the most unique soju in the marketplace and “an intangible cultural heritage of Seoul” and “one of many best examples of true soju.”
Tips on how to pair soju and soju cocktails with beef
As a result of Wangbi is a multiple-course, counter-tasting menu, Kim has created a fastidiously curated technique on the proper drink pairings for every dish.
“Wangbi has a really thrilling course menu that transcends the eating expertise for company, regardless of if they’re conversant in Korean meals or not,” mentioned Kim. “The course menu has a pure development of flavors from mild to daring. We begin out with relatively delicate chungju rice wine, after which with the primary course, we provide soju that’s filled with daring flavors. We need to showcase there are many prospects with artisanal Korean sool.”
There are many beef cuts that pair splendidly with soju. At Wangbi, they serve a contemporary twist on basic Korean yukhoe, a beef tartare. Solely at Wangbi, Government Chef Taewoo Kim makes use of smoky, calmly seared ribeye, nonetheless uncooked within the middle and topped with loads of grated truffle. Nonetheless, unsurprisingly, the most effective beef cuts to pair with Korean liquor is a favourite of Korean BBQ: galbi.
“Personally, I like galbi, which is a brief rib,” mentioned Kim. “It could be grilled as thinly sliced meat, or it may be marinated in soy sauce earlier than grilling. With this reduce, I significantly like Yangchon Chungju, which is rice wine. This chungju has distinct earthy and savory flavors with a touch of refined sweetness, which might intensify the flavors of grilled galbi quick rib.”
However soju is just not solely nice by itself; it’s additionally scrumptious in cocktails. “Soju may be fairly versatile,” explains Kim. “Not like a few years in the past when individuals had been trying to masks the flavour of alcohol, now many bartenders are gravitating in direction of understanding the true taste of base spirits.”
As a result of the flavors of rice-based soju lean in direction of savory and earthy, when utilized in a cocktail, it’s nice blended with alcohol like sherry or vermouth. “It will possibly additionally work nicely with types of citrus,” acknowledged Kim. “I like yuja (or yuzu) citrus, which has very good unique citrus notes. It will possibly carry some brightness to the cocktail.” The outcomes of those combos? A fully scrumptious soju drink that helps intensify the pure umami of beef.
Sol Negroni
“That is our variation of basic negroni with rice soju infused with pine and spruce, chungju, omija berry syrup and campari,” mentioned Kim.
Components:
- 1 oz Damsoul Pine Soju
- 1 oz Yangchon Chungju
- 1/2 oz Campari
- 1/2 oz Omija Syrup (if omija is just not accessible, simply use complete 1 oz of Campari)
Technique:
- Pour all substances over ice and stir.
- Pressure over rock glass with ice. Garnish with orange peel.
Editors’ Suggestions
[ad_2]
Source_link
