How to Enjoy Soju: A Guide to Drinking & Cultural Etiquette

• Drink soju cold and neat. The first sip is taken as a shot, while subsequent servings can be sipped.
• Follow Korean tradition by swirling the bottle, slapping the bottom, twisting off the cap, and jabbing the neck with the webbing between your index and middle fingers.
• Pour soju with 2 hands when serving someone older than you, and receive it with 2 hands when someone older is serving you. Turn away from your elder as you take the shot.

How to Open a Soju Bottle

Serve the soju cold and neat for the best flavor. Chill the bottle of soju in the refrigerator for a few hours if you are drinking at home. Don’t add ice to the drink because it is typically served as a small pour and taken as a shot. Chilled soju is a popular serving option in the summer months, though it may be served warm during the winter months. It can also be served at room temperature.

Swirl the bottle around to create a whirlpool inside. Hold the soju near the bottom of the bottle in one hand and vigorously swirl it in a circular motion. It should only take about 2-3 seconds of swirling to create a whirlpool effect inside the bottle. This tradition dates back to the old days when sediment was deposited into the bottles during production. Swirling the bottle is meant to bring the sediment to the top of the bottle.

Slap the bottom of the bottle with your palm and twist off the cap. Hold the bottle towards the bottom of the neck in one hand. Then, use your other hand to firmly slap the end of the bottle. After a couple of slaps, twist off the cap. You may also bang the bottom of the bottle against your elbow instead of slapping it with your palm. Some say the purpose of this part also has to do with breaking up the sediment in the bottle.

Spread your middle and index finger apart and jab the neck of the bottle. Grip the lower portion of the bottle with one hand to hold it steady, and use the webbed area between your middle finger and index finger on your other hand to sharply jab the neck of the bottle. This should be done with enough force to make a little bit of the soju splash out of the bottle. Back in the day, this motion was meant to knock the sediment that was deposited during production out of the bottle so it doesn’t get drank. Even though it’s no longer necessary to do this, it’s still part of soju drinking culture.

Proper Soju Etiquette

Receive soju from someone else rather than pouring it yourself. In Korean culture, it’s considered improper to pour your own glass of soju. Instead, wait for someone else to top you off.

Have the oldest person in the group pour the first shot of soju. They will pour a shot into each group member’s glass, starting with the youngest person. After everyone has received their pour, another member of the group uses both hands to pour a shot for the server. Make sure to cover the bottle label while pouring your elder. These traditions are all rooted in a sense of respect.

Use both hands to hold the bottle while pouring shots. As members of the group take turns pouring rounds of shots for one another, each needs to hold the bottle with both hands (while covering up the bottle label). This is another way of showing respect, especially when serving your elders. If you are pouring the shots, do not fill your own glass. After you have filled everyone else’s glass, set the bottle down so someone can fill yours for you. If you’re pouring soju for a friend, you only need to use 1 hand.

Hold the shot glass with both hands while receiving the drink. Clutch the bottom of the glass with your right hand while holding the side with your left hand. Alternatively, hold the shot glass in one hand and use your opposite hand to grip and support your elbow. Using two hands to receive soju is a sign of respect to your elders. If your friend is pouring you soju, you only have to use 1 hand to hold the shot glass.

Turn your head to avoid eye contact with your elder when you drink. If someone older than you poured the shot, turn completely away from them while holding the shot glass with two hands. Then, drink the shot out of this individual’s view.

Offer to fill empty glasses as needed. Per tradition, no glass can sit empty and no one is allowed to drink alone. If you notice someone’s glass is empty, ask if they would like another drink. When refilling the drink of your senior, hold the bottle with both hands; when refilling the drink for a friend; only one hand is necessary.

Sip or shoot the drinks taken after the first round. Traditionally, only the first round of drinks needs to be taken as a shot. After that, you can choose to either shoot or sip your drinks.

Drink together to show solidarity. In the Korean tradition, no one should drink alone. If you pour another shot for someone, they should pour one for you as well. If someone offers to pour you a shot first, always accept it. In Korea, drinking soju isn’t just about the physical act of enjoying alcohol—it’s about the emotional act of connecting with others.

What is soju?

Soju is a liquor typically brewed with rice, barley, or wheat. Despite being a liquor, it doesn’t have the same alcohol content as other types of hard alcohol—for reference, a bottle of soju can have anywhere from 16.7% to 45% alcohol. Historically speaking, soju used to be made solely with rice; however, in 1965, using rice for soju was forbidden thanks to post-war food shortages. Because of this, the soju brewers expanded their recipes to include other types of starches to make what was known as “diluted soju.” Some may use terms like “traditional soju” and “modern soju” to describe the beverage nowadays. Traditional soju refers to liquor made purely with rice, while modern soju refers to liquor brewed with other starches. Modern soju is often sold in distinctive green bottles.

Playing Soju Drinking Games

Flick the CapThis is among the most popular drinking games. After you remove the cap from the soju bottle, twist the end piece of the seal that’s connected to the cap to make it more stiff. Each person then takes turns flicking the end piece with their fingers. The first person to flick off the tail of the cap has to drink soju first.

TitanicFill a drinking glass about 70% full of beer and carefully set the shot glass in the beer so that it floats. Go around the table taking turns pouring soju into the shot glass. The goal is to keep the shot glass floating. The person who sinks the shot glass is the loser and must drink the beer/soju mixture (called somaek).

Noonchi (4+ players) Random members take turns standing and counting in sequential order until you get to the number that corresponds with how many people you have in your group. Here’s the tricky part—no one can shout the same number at the same time. For example, if more than one person shouts “2” at the same time, they all have to drink a shot together. If your group can get through all the numbers without saying any in unison, the person who says the final number drinks a shot.