If you want to taste some really “authentic” Korean Makkoli, be sure to pay a visit to SeungBookDong Makkoli restaurant in HongDae, Seoul, Korea.  This restaurant serves only one Makkoli (as the name of its restaurant implies), SeungBookDong Makkoli.

This Makkoli is actually delivered straight from SeungBookDong, a rural city in South Korea.  You will find two different types of SeungBookDong Makkoli served here, one light version (6% Alcohol) and the other very heavy (8% Alcohol).

First, we ordered the light version of SeungBookDong Makkoli, which is brewed in traditional style using Korean clay pots.  In fact, the owner of this restaurant is so picky, he literally picks up the Makkoli himself from the factory, to make sure temperature is maintained at utmost precise temperature.

The result?  Wow, this is one of the best Makkoli I’ve tasted all my life, very sweet yet not too sweet with barely any hint of alcohol.  This is surely Makkoli you will want to try at least once in your lifetime and one of my new favorites now.

Too bad, this SeungBookDong makkoli isn’t sold in bottles but you will have to either travel to SeungBookDong city or visit this restaurant that specializes in this Makkoli.

Last but not least, with great Korean Makkoli, you need to eat some great sidedishes that go with it.  One of the most favorite Makkoli food is the Kimchi Tofu, which is shown in the below photo.  This is what we ordered and had a blast drinking with SeungBookDong Makkli.

A lot of times, the really good things in Korea are hidden away in small no-name restaurants such as this that serve the most freshest Makkoli you won’t find elsewhere.  Man, I miss Korea now, this is definitely one of the first places I will visit when I get back.

[성북동 막걸리]

In my last trip to South Korea, I did travel as far as to GangNeung, which is coastal city on the east coast of South Korea, about 3 hours from Seoul.  Next to GangNeung city is a small coastal city called JooMoonJin, where they sell a ton of fresh Korean sashimi and seafood.

JooMoonJin has been quite famous for as long as South Koreans know for their region’s expertise in food and Makkoli.

Of course, I did get to try JooMoonJin DongDongJu.  DongDongJu is very similar to Makkoli.  Actually DongDongJu is the top part of Makkoli, excluding the creamy stuff.

Anyways, I’ve tried many DongDongJu in my life but this JooMoonJin DongDongJu is probably the best (and authentic) DongDongJu I’ve had.  Too bad, they don’t sell this anywhere outside of JooMoonJin as it’s not mass produced rather hand-made in limited quantities.  But that makes it that much better, the JooMoonJin DongDongJu is scarce but will be one of the best Korean rice wine you will ever try.

Worth a trip to JooMoonJin?  Oh yes, I would make a trip to this city just for this and also great seafood.

[주문진 동동주]

Another very famous Korean Makkoli is the BaeDaRi Makkoli (as shown in above pic), this is a favorite of one of South Korean Presidents and have been around for a long time.

The taste?  BaeDaRi Makkoli isn’t for everyone, it has a slightly bitter/sweet taste that many older folks would love.  Personally, I thought BaeDaRi was a bit too strong for my liking but it isn’t so bad plus it’s made from 100% Korean rice.

BaeDaRi Makkoli is pretty popular in Korea so you will probably end up drinking at least one glass of it on your trip to South Korea.  And no, BaeDaRi isn’t exported as far as I know, so you will have to pay a visit to taste this Makkoli.

Next time you are in South Korea, you might want to pay a visit to BaeDaRi Makkoli museum, which is not too far from Seoul.  Museum?  Yes, there’s a Makkoli museum in South Korea, where you can check out history of Makkoli and also get fresh BaeDaRi Makkoli.

[배다리막걸리]

One of the perks of living in South Korea is that you will find an abundance of fresh Makkoli at your local super market.   Prices are decent too.  As shown in the above photo, KookSoonDang Makkoli (Blue) is on sale for just 990 Won per bottle, which equals about 80 cents.

Also, you will find most of these Makkoli bottles were actually bottled just a day or two before, giving you the freshest taste.  On the other side of the globe, for example where I live here in San Francisco, I am only able to get Makkoli bottles that were bottles weeks or even months before, another reason you cannot get the true taste of real Makkoli in the U.S. or anywhere too far outside South Korea.

But South Korean Makkoli companies are working at it as one Makkoli company has built a factory in Canada.  Once they start shipping everywhere to the U.S. and Canana, we might be in luck to taste the real Makkoli, although ingredients might have another setback for those of us true Makkoli maniacs who need Makkoli made from the best Korean rice.

Also, if you are in South Korea, there will be different types of Makkoli sold at super markets depending on where you are.  Mostly, KookSoonDang and Seoul Makkoli are sold everywhere in South Korea while local Makkoli are only sold in local super markets.

But there are many Makkoli restaurants in Seoul that will have Makkoli from other provinces of Korea.  So depending on your luck, you have a good chance of trying fresh Makkoli from all over Korea without having to go outside Seoul.

One day my goal is to make a country-wide trip in South Korea to visit and try different Makkoli myself.  That would be very interesting and yes, it will all be documented right here on Makkoli.org.

All over South Korea, there’s a restaurant franchise called BaekSeJu Ma-Ul Bar/Restaurant.   This restaurant is actually run by the Korean company KookSoonDang, who some of you may know through the Korean rice wine BaekSeJu and this company also currently exports the most popular KookSoonDang draft makkoli.

Anyways, I’ve heard a lot of great thing about this restaurant so I had to pay a visit and try out some of the food and makkoli myself.

Mainly, this restaurant serves two types of makkoli you won’t find elsewhere, Old Makkoli (옛날술) and also the First Makkoli (첫술).  The Old Makkoli costs 4,000 won (around $4 USD) while a bottle of First Makkoli costs 10,000 won (around $10 USD).

The Old Makkoli is made using more traditional methods and has a higher alcohol level of 8% while the First Makkoli is made using the “first harvested rice” with alcohol level of 7%.

The Verdict

The Old Makkoli tastes strong and a bit sweet while the First Makkoli tastes sweet with a bit more carbonation.  Personally, I prefer the First Makkoli, it tastes really like what I have been drinking (exported KookSoonDang Makkoli made with U.S. rice) but a bit sweeter and much cleaner.

At $10 a bottle, the First Makkoli is probably one of the most expensive makkoli you will find anywhere but the taste is well worth it.  Of course, you will have to go to one of these official restaurants to get a taste.

That’s another thing about makkoli, quality control is everything.  Makkoli companies like to have tight control over quality of makkoli as taste can go south if the retailer does not store them in correct temperature.  Also makkoli taste changes during shipping out of the country, so you never actually get the right makkoli taste you should get on exported ones.

So what?  Makkoli in general tastes best when you drink it right after it’s been bottled.  Most restaurants in Korea will serve you very fresh makkoli, perhaps within 1-3 days.  If you want to taste great makkoli, a trip to South Korea is definitely worth it or make it yourself at home.

[백세주마을][국순당 첫술][국순당 옛날술]

During my stay in Kang-Won-Do province in South Korea, I got to taste Han-Gae-Ryung makkoli.  This is one of the older makkoli drinks in the Kang-Won-Do area and one of the best makkoli I’ve tasted during my trip.

The verdict

The Han Gae Ryung tastes very sweet with a bit of higher alcohol than normal makkoli but very refreshing.

Where to Get This Makkoli and Food To Eat With

I stumbled onto this Han Gae Ryung makkoli at the To-Dam Soon Tofu restaurant, and certainly it goes with well with Korean tofu soup.   Next time you are in Kang-Won-Do area, I highly recommend you to stop by the To-Dam Soon Tofu restaurant, it’s the best Korea tofu soup I had in a long, long time and other Koreans swear by it so it’s not just me.

If you are lucky, you might just be able to find a small mini-mart in Seoul that sells this makkoli or a restaurant.  If you do find it elsewhere outside Kang-Won-Do, don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments box.

[한계령 막걸리][토담 순두부]