Soju Shots & Hangover Soup: Get A Taste Of Korea’s Unique Drinking Culture At Hahn’s Kitchen

The Koreans love their tipple, and Hahn’s kitchen is the best place to take a swig of this fun and very boozy tradition.

If you think you have drinking skills, think twice. No one can beat the Koreans when it comes to guzzling it down, and the main reason for this is that drinks are always had in one single shot! The star of any hic-hic session is, of course, Soju. A clear, colourless distilled beverage usually made from rice, this remains a top-seller in Korea. Soju was traditionally always had neat, but now its best friend is a bottle of good old fashioned beer.

So while your first Soju shot is neat, you then chase this with a beer and Soju cocktail {the beer helps balance the slight burn of the Soju}. The best example of this h is the Poktan-ju, or the Bomb drink, in which a shot of Soju is dunk into a glass of beer. This merry mix is also typically downed in one swift go!

For special drinking occasions, the cocktail to be savoured is the Kojingamlae – which is the bomb along with an added shot of cola below the Soju shot, within the same beer-filled glass. We are feeling heady already.

Classically, Koreans don’t mix a full heavy meal with an evening more focussed on drinking. The idea is to pair the Soju with a soupy broth, like a spicy hot pot, or something milder like the Doenjang Jjigae {a traditional soya bean and kelp broth that has tofu and mushrooms}, and keeping sipping the warm liquid as you down drinks faster than anyone can say ‘Bibimbap’.

For more peckish crowds, sharing platters like the Jokbal {braised pork trotters with accompaniments} or delightfully fresh and mild Sashimi platters may be ordered, but never a fried delicacy or a rice or noodle-based dish. The only exception is if you’re giving Soju a miss, and downing only beer, in which case the Yangnyum Chicken {lightly battered crispy chicken in a sweet chilli sauce} makes for perfect pairing.

Indulge in a freewheeling drinking session at Hahn’s and let the hostess guide you to a night that you will probably not end up remembering!

The restaurant serves hangover soup for washed out souls the next day.