Fizzy, tangy and inspired by Korea, this simple mix also allows for a few party tricks.
About the cocktail
Between those stadium-filling K-pop bands, huge skincare brands and TV mega hits like Squid Game, Korean culture is really in vogue – and it’s easy to see why. Best of all, we think, is the nation’s unique drinking culture, which brings with it some seriously delicious drops, like soju. This rice-based spirit has plenty going for it: it’s light in alcohol for a spirit (usually around 12% ABV), it comes in an almost endless array of zippy flavours like peach, strawberry and watermelon, and, as you’ll see with our Yoghurt Soju Highball, it makes a perfect cocktail ingredient. The Yoghurt Soju Highball is just Yakult (a tangy and sweet probiotic milk drink), soju, salt and soda water. The result is a creamy, fizzy and fun cocktail that is so much more enjoyable than you’d think just by looking at the ingredient list. In Korea, a common way to drink soju is as a somaek – a mix of soju and beer that’s also known as a ‘soju bomb’. There’s not much to it on the surface, but bartenders often take the basic blend to a new level with some fizzy theatrics, like shaking up beer bottles and spraying it into the glass from a ridiculous height for maximum froth. And we definitely recommend that sort of action with the soda water in a Yoghurt Soju Highball. The flashy mixing and soju bombing means the Yoghurt Soju Highball is a real party cocktail, but we’d also recommend mixing a few alongside your favourite Korean takeaway (rice bowls like bibimbap would be perfect).
Ingredients
1 small Yakult (65mL)
50mL soju (any flavour you like) 1 pinch salt 100mL soda water Glass: highball
Method
Add Yakult, soju and salt to a cocktail shaker Add ice and shake until the tin is frosty Strain into two glasses Ensure your soda is as cold as possible, then add 50mL to each glass (see tips)
Dan’s top tips
If you feel like doing your own research, type ‘soju bomb tricks’ into your social media app of choice and take some inspiration – you’ll see all sorts of tumbling shot glasses and long-range spraying. If you don’t want to get too messy, a good way is to pour your soda water into your glass from as high as you dare. It’ll create serious froth and a bit of theatre that your guests will love. With endless flavours of soju out there, the choice is up to you. There are plain sojus if you’d rather the yoghurty flavour of Yakult leads the way, but otherwise you can consider this cocktail recipe as a bit of a blank canvas. You might like to try a few different flavours with friends and see which one comes out on top.
1. Where does the Yoghurt Soju Highball come from?
The Yoghurt Soju Highball takes inspiration from Korea, where soju also comes from.
2. What is soju?
Soju is a Korean spirit, usually made from rice or other starches like sweet potato.
3. What does the Yoghurt Soju Highball taste like?
You can take this cocktail in all directions with whichever soju flavour you like, but you’ll also get the creamy tang of Yakult in there.
image credits: Kayla May (photography), Bridget Wald (styling).
