This Beautiful Korean Cocktail Is Deceptively Potent

Koreans certainly know how to drink. They can pound beer, rice wine, soju, herbal concoctions, and countless other varieties of booze with a truly admirable devotion, and theirs is a culture that respects alcohol deeply and emphatically.

But not all of that booze tastes great. Makgeolli, once the rice-based homebrew of choice for old people and farmers, has become mass-produced and cheapened with artificial sweeteners. (Not that that's stopping Korean rappers from brandishing plastic bottles of it in their music videos.)

And if you want to drink like Keith Ape, no judgment. You do you.

But if you want to elevate your makgeolli game, you could try mixing it into a cocktail like they do at Manhattan's JUNGSIK.

There, the milky, low-alcohol brew meets soju, sour mix, and Korean fruit wine that's made with raspberries.

The result? A slightly malty, full-bodied drink with a bright spike of fruit and citrus. Pair it with some gimbap and you'll have one hell of an elegant meal, indeed.