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