Baekseju is also called Baek se ju.

People from Korea love their alcoholic drinks and hence the country is home to numerous indigenously brewed drinks. These drinks are largely made from rice which is available abundantly in the Far East; hence the drinks obtain the name rice wines. One such rice wine brewed exclusively in the Korea peninsular alone is known as Baekseju. Lately it has been commercialised widely around the world under the name Baek se ju.

Baekseju is a traditional Korean rice wine which is infused with herbs. ‘Baek se ju’ literally means ‘hundred year wine.’ This name is derived for the rice wine since it is believed that the drink has medicinal properties due to the various herbs in it. It is believed that these herbs help a person to live up to a hundred years. Although Baek se ju is termed as a wine, it bears no resemblance to the wines coming from the west. Like most Korean alcoholic beverages, it is brewed from fermented gelatinous rice. Gelatinous rice refers to rice which is sticky in texture. This variety of rice is found mainly in the Far East countries like Japan, Taiwan and Korea. The fermenting process for Baekseju also involves twelve essential herbs. The major herbs used in the fermenting process of Baek se ju are listed below:

• Ginseng
• Licorice
• Omija
• Gugija (Chinese wolf berry)
• Astralagus Propinquus
• Ginger
• Cinnamon

These herbs are responsible for giving the Baekseju its distinct colour and flavour. The colour of this rice wine is a delicate pale yellow and the flavour is slightly like the taste of bitter root.

If you are looking for Baekseju in Korea, the ideal place to look for it will be in the traditional Soju tents and Maek Se Ju Jeom. These places recreate a traditional environment conducive for drinking Baek se ju. These places have remained unchanged from a hundred or maybe even more than a hundred years. They are intricately decorated with beautiful clay and wood interiors adorned with traditional Korean and Chinese script wallpaper and period pieces, such as farming tools which are seen hanging from the walls of the shop.

Drinking Baekseju in Korea:

Baek se ju is little more expensive as compared to the more popular Soju (which is made from sweet potatoes and is very similar in taste and texture to the western vodka), but then it also has the stronger flavour and not to forget that folk wisdom dictates that Baekseju has medicinal properties. This rice wine, by virtue of its bitter root flavour is usually consumed with a snack called ‘gui’ or any other spicy Korean food.

While drinking any Korean alcoholic beverage, you must be sure that you punctuate your imbibing with any traditional Korean salutation. The easiest one of these to remember is “Gonbei!” (This is pronounced as “Gun-bay”). Use it very cautiously though, because the phrase literally translates to, “drain your glass dry,” and you will be expected to do a bottoms up to your drink.

Hope you enjoy your Baek se ju when ever you go to Korea.

- Shishir Rao

Gamju is also known as ‘dansul’ or ’sikhye’. The word ‘dansul’ and ’sikhye’ literally mean sweet wine in the Korean language. Sikhye is also spelt as ’shikhye’ or ’shikeh’. It is a traditional Korean drink and it is very popular in Korea. It has low levels of alcohol in it. It is a sweet beverage and is usually served as a dessert. It is made from rice.

Gamju is prepared from rice which is fermented with yeast cake. Water and yeast cake is added to cooked rice. This mixture is fermented for hours together in a rice cooker at 60 degrees Celsius. Since only incomplete fermentation is done, the beverage is not very alcoholic in nature but it does contain some alcohol. Malt water is poured on pre cooked rice. While the rice is still cooking, the malt water seeps into the rice at about 150 degrees Fahrenheit. As the malt water seeps into the rice, the rice begins to appear onto the surface. This particular liquid is very carefully poured into another container. This liquid is then boiled with sugar. A dash of ginger or jujube (as it is known locally) is then added to the liquid for extra taste. Sometimes pine nuts are also added to the beverage. The beverage is served chilled. Gamju has many variations. Some of the variations are as follows:

• Gamju: as we know it is a weak cider made from rice
• Cheong: is again a very sweet alcoholic drink. But it has low alcohol levels.
• Iyangju: also known as Cheong soju is made in summer. The water which is used for the preparation is cooled in a vat. The water cools automatically during the fermentation process.
• Wasonju: is the same drink but its fermentation is done in the hollow of a rotten pine tree. During the fermentation process, the hollow is sealed with clay.
• Juktongju: is again the same drink but its fermentation is done inside a bamboo.
• Gahyanju: is a mixture of many drinks. It is also an alcoholic beverage. It is known for its delicious fragrance and aroma.
• Gwasilju: is a mixture of many herb wines. It actually includes all herb wines apart from grape wine.
• Angdong Sikhye and Yeonyeop Sikhye is a variety of Gamju which is usually prepared in the Gangwon province. This beverage also includes radishes, carrots and red pepper powder. This beverage is fermented for several days instead of hours. Hence it has a relatively higher alcoholic content. Despite the long process of fermentation, the rough texture of radishes and carrots is maintained. In Korea, softer textures indicate that the beverage is of inferior quality.

Gamju is available in every grocery store in Korea. It is packaged in cans and plastic bottles. Vilac is a company (of Busan) which is the largest producer of Sikhye. Most canned beverages in Korea have a residue of cooked rice left at the bottom of the cans. Homemade Gamju is usually served at the end of every meal in most Korean restaurants.

- Seema Khinnavar

The brand Frostie Root Beer dates back to 1939. The brand was earlier owned by Mr. George Rackensperger of the Frostie Beverage Company which is located in Catonsville, Maryland. Mr. George Rackensperger became the President of Frostie Root Beer Company in 1939 and he wanted to open his own bottling plant. So he rented an old discarded jail house in Catonsville, Maryland. He used the jail house’s garage to set up the bottling tools and equipment. He very efficiently improvised and used the jail cells to store sugar crowns. It was in this simple jail house that the big brand of Frostie Root Beer was born.

The brand of Frostie Root Beer grew very popular and was widely accepted by customers all over. The volume of sales sky rocketed and consumer acceptance grew so rapidly that the jail house became insufficient for the production of Frostie Root Beer. Therefore, Mr. George Rackensperger built a new modern plant and bought up to date machinery along with it. The popularity of Frostie Root Beer grew so much that, various distributers in nearby countries were given the authority to put Frostie Root Beer up for sale. Due to the ever increasing popularity of Frostie Root Beer, the distributers were even given the authority to bottle the Root Beer themselves. This is how the brand of Frostie Root Beer became a franchised beverage.

In 1947, The Frostie Beverage Company organized a parent organization to look after the selection of the Frostie Root Beer’s manufacturers. The franchise expanded and spread throughout Maryland and it was spreading even beyond Maryland. The brand was made popular only due to its unique and refreshing taste. The fans of Frostie root Beer did the rest by spreading the brand’s popularity by word of mouth. Frostie Root Beer began spreading across England. New staff was added to the existing staff and the expansion of the franchise was done in a very methodical and planned manner. Therefore, in the earlier stages, there was a huge and a stable growth of the brand. Now the appointed bottlers were even allowed to handle the Frostie Root Beer syrup for selling the beer through vending machines and fountains.

Today, the rights of the brand of Frostie Root Beer are owned by Leading Edge Brands which is located in Temple, Texas. Leading Edge Brand is the place where the bottling of Frostie Root Beer is done. Leading Edge Brand then sells the Frostie Root Beer to various distributers spread across the country.

Earlier, Mr. George Rackensperger used Cane sugar in the drink. Later with new and modern machinery, high fructose corn syrup was used in the drink. But the taste did not remain the same and there was negative customer feedback. Hence cane sugar was again used as the main sweetener for the Root Beer.

The flavor of Frostie Root Beer is very light and it has a sweet vanilla fragrance to it. A lot of customers now complain that Frostie root Beer is not what it used to be. But the drink is still hugely popular in England.

- Seema Khinnavar