Soju
| Korean spelling | |
|---|---|
| Korean alphabet : | 소주 |
| Hanja : | 燒酒 |
| Revised Romanization : | Soju |
| McCune-Reischauer : | Sochu |
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Soju [ so.dʑu ] is a spirit of Korea . The main raw ingredient is rice , almost always in combination with other carbohydrate foods such as potatoes , wheat or barley . Soju is clear and typically has an alcohol content of 20%. It has been distilled since at least the 14th century. The name literally means brandy .
The Japanese variant of Soju is called Shōchū . Soju is sometimes mistakenly called rice wine , a name that is commonly used for Cheongju , the Korean equivalent of Japanese sake .
Soju is traditionally made by distillation . A large part of cheap soju is now produced by mixing pure ethanol with water and flavorings. This technique emerged when the production of distilled soju was banned in 1965 to alleviate a rice shortage. The Korean government has stipulated that the alcohol content of distilled soju must be less than 35%.
Its wide availability and low price compared to other alcohols made soju one of, if not the most popular alcoholic beverages in Korea. More than 3 billion bottles were consumed in South Korea in 2004 . However, other beverages such as beer , whiskey, and wine have grown in popularity in recent years.
Aside from the mass-produced brands that are widely available in Korea, there are also several regions known for the more traditional production of soju. Soju from Andong is the most famous.