Skip to main content

How to pair soju and beef: Master Sommelier Kyungmoon Kim of Wangbi gives us his top tips

There's a delicate balance to strike, here.

Wangbi short rib on plate.
Grilled short rib with caviar and king oyster mushroom. Dipping sauce served on the side. Wangbi / Noon Creative

While beef is often paired with red wine, there’s another liquor that’s equally amazing with steak — Korean soju. This smooth and mild liquor is incredibly popular in Korean cuisine, so much so that the distinctive green bottles of the alcohol are a common sight on any table piled high with Korean barbecue.

But the world of soju is plenty diverse, with varying flavor profiles from floral to peppery to notes of pine. To guide us on this journey, we sought out Kyungmoon Kim, a Master Sommelier at Wangbi, an exclusive 12-seat chef’s counter-tasting menu in New York’s Koreatown.

Recommended Videos

“Pairing is all about harmony and creating synergy between food and beverage,” said Kim. “And there is nothing better than accompanying authentic Korean sool with Korean food. Everything just falls in the right places.”

variety of Korean liquors
Spread of Korean liquors. Wangbi / Noon Creative

What is soju?

First, soju is a type of sool, a broad category of traditional Korean alcohol, such as milky makgeolli (막걸리) or the clear chungju (청주) made from rice. In Kim’s opinion, sool is deeply rooted in the fabric of Korean culture.

“These beverages are crafted using traditional methods and often have unique flavors and characteristics that set them apart from Western spirits,” explains Kim. “Sool production and consumption have deep cultural and social significance in Korea, and they are enjoyed in a variety of social settings, including family gatherings, special occasions, and traditional ceremonies.”

Soju is the best-known alcohol in this family of sool alcoholic beverages. Traditionally, soju was made by distilling rice chungju and, according to Kim, “has a very distinct flavor of sweet rice.” However, most conventional soju (most commonly found in a green bottle) is produced at scale and, in Kim’s opinion, a comparatively “flavorless alcohol.” And instead of rice, conventional soju is made from a combination of grains, sweet potatoes, or tapioca. Generally, this is the type of soju most people have tasted at their favorite Korean barbecue restaurants.

For a better soju experience, Kim has some recommendations, including Won Soju, made by Korean American musician Jay Park; Seoul Night Plum Soju, double distillation of golden plum with a floral aroma; fragrant pine-flavored Damsoul Pine Soju, and Samhae Soju, which Kim considers the most exclusive soju on the market and “an intangible cultural heritage of Seoul” and  “one of the greatest examples of true soju.”

Korean beef yukhoe
Beef yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) with grated truffle at Wangbi. Made with seared ribeye. Wangbi / Noon Creative

How to pair soju and soju cocktails with beef

Because Wangbi is a multiple-course, counter-tasting menu, Kim has created a carefully curated strategy on the right drink pairings for each dish.

“Wangbi has a very exciting course menu that transcends the dining experience for guests, no matter if they are familiar with Korean food or not,” said Kim. “The course menu has a natural progression of flavors from light to bold. We start out with rather delicate chungju rice wine, and then with the main course, we offer soju that is packed with bold flavors. We want to showcase there are lots of possibilities with artisanal Korean sool.”

There are plenty of beef cuts that pair wonderfully with soju. At Wangbi, they serve a modern twist on classic Korean yukhoe, a beef tartare. Only at Wangbi, Executive Chef Taewoo Kim uses smoky, lightly seared ribeye, still raw in the center and topped with plenty of grated truffle. However, unsurprisingly, one of the best beef cuts to pair with Korean liquor is a favorite of Korean BBQ: galbi.

“Personally, I love galbi, which is a short rib,” said Kim. “It may be grilled as thinly sliced meat, or it can be marinated in soy sauce before grilling. With this cut, I particularly like Yangchon Chungju, which is rice wine. This chungju has distinct earthy and savory flavors with a hint of subtle sweetness, which can accentuate the flavors of grilled galbi short rib.”

But soju is not only great by itself; it’s also delicious in cocktails. “Soju can be quite versatile,” explains Kim. “Unlike many years ago when people were looking to mask the flavor of alcohol, now many bartenders are gravitating towards understanding the true flavor of base spirits.”

Because the flavors of rice-based soju lean towards savory and earthy, when used in a cocktail, it’s great mixed with alcohol like sherry or vermouth. “It can also work well with varieties of citrus,” stated Kim. “I love yuja (or yuzu) citrus, which has very nice exotic citrus notes. It can bring some brightness to the cocktail.” The results of these combinations? An absolutely delicious soju drink that helps accentuate the natural umami of beef.

Wangbi Korean cocktails
The selection of cocktails at Wangbi. Wangbi / Noon Creative

Sol Negroni

“This is our variation of classic negroni with rice soju infused with pine and spruce, chungju, omija berry syrup and campari,” said Kim.

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Damsoul Pine Soju
  • 1 oz Yangchon Chungju
  • 1/2 oz Campari
  • 1/2 oz Omija Syrup (if omija is not available, just use whole 1 oz of Campari)

Method:

  1. Pour all ingredients over ice and stir.
  2. Strain over rock glass with ice. Garnish with orange peel.
Hunter Lu
Hunter Lu is a New York-based food and features writer, editor, and NYU graduate. His fiction has appeared in The Line…
How to make better tacos at home: 5 can’t-miss tips
Want better tacos? Here's how to make them
Tacos

This is going to sound somewhat blasphemous, but hear me out. Until I was well into my teen years, I didn't think I liked tacos. It's hard to believe now, but I insisted that this beloved food just wasn't for me. This is because, like many American children, I had only been exposed to ground beef tacos, seasoned with a grocery store spice packet, topped with bagged lettuce and pre-shredded cheddar. Not to bash this classic culinary staple of my fellow '80s babies, but those aren't true tacos, and I will die on that hill.
It wasn't until a high school class trip to Mexico that I had the real thing, and I realized I'd been duped. It was love at first bite. This certainly isn't to say that all tacos must be strictly authentic or even Mexican-inspired. Heavens no. When I discovered my love for what tacos could be, I couldn't experiment enough with new ingredients and flavors. Having only had the one (rather lazy) version, I didn't realize how much potential these beautiful little flavor pockets had.
So if you, too, have a little childhood taco trauma, these are some of the best ways to recover.

Marinate your meat (and stop using ground beef)
My hatred for ground beef tacos may be a controversial take, and at the end of the day, there might be a nostalgic attachment that draws you back to this ingredient time and time again. That's fair. But if you do decide to branch out (and you should), marinating your meat - no matter what kind it is - is a step you shouldn't skip.

Read more
A chef gives us the secret key ingredient to make perfect fried chicken (and the one step most people get wrong!)
The secret to perfect fried chicken is simpler than you think
Fried chicken

Beautifully executed fried chicken is, perhaps, one of the few perfect things we get to have as human beings. Its warm, crispy, decadently crunchy crust with a hot and steamy, sinfully juicy, rich, and savory center is enough to make most grown men weep with pure joy. This classic dish is arguably one of the most important staples of American cuisine, and the pressure to get it right can be intense. The good news is, no one knows how to make fried chicken better than Chef Trevor Stockton, of The Restaurant at RT Lodge, and he graciously agreed to be our guide with a few of his best tips.

Chef Stockton shared with us the secret to perfect fried chicken, and the answer is a simple one. "The most important thing, other than using a quality chicken, is using quality buttermilk," he said, adding that he uses Cruze Farm Dairy buttermilk, which is churned and not homogenized. "If you can get your hands on real churned buttermilk, it will give you nice tender chicken because it still has all of its original qualities. We season our chicken very simply and then cover it with the Cruze Farm buttermilk for a minimum of 24 hours."

Read more
A pro tells us how to make the perfect charcuterie board
Meats, cheeses, wine pairings, and more
Close up of charcuterie board and glasses of wine on wooden table.

Fall is a time of abundance and that means prime eating time. Overflowing cornucopias come to mind, and while we don't really eat out of those strange Thanksgiving platters, there's something quite like them -- the charcuterie board.

What is a charcuterie board? Teeming with meats, cheeses, veggies, and more, the charcuterie board is the edible generosity of autumn on a platter. It's also a delicious reminder that food is all about community and taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the day.

Read more