Soju’s neutrality is its advantage behind a bar: it mixes like vodka but at half the strength, so drinks come out lighter without tasting watered down. Bartenders in New York and Los Angeles have been building menus around it for exactly that reason.
Somaek
Beer plus soju, roughly 3:1. Fill a tall glass two-thirds with a light lager, add a shot of classic soju, drink promptly. The original and still the most common way soju is mixed.
Soju & tonic
2 oz classic soju, 4 oz tonic, plenty of ice, a wedge of lime. A gin and tonic for people who do not like gin.
Yogurt soju
2 oz soju, 4 oz Korean drinkable yogurt, 2 oz lemon-lime soda, over ice. Sweet, tangy, and the standard antidote to very spicy food.
Cucumber soju
Muddle three slices of cucumber with a bar spoon of sugar, add 2 oz soju and 1/2 oz lime juice, shake, strain over ice. Clean and savoury — the one to make for someone who says they do not like sweet drinks.
Soju highball
2 oz soju, 4 oz soda water, a long strip of lemon peel. The lowest-calorie, lowest-effort drink on this page.
Watermelon soju
Hollow a small watermelon, blend the flesh, mix with a full bottle of soju, pour it back in and serve from the shell. It is a party centrepiece, not a cocktail, and it goes down alarmingly fast.