I was introduced to soju by a Korean friend more than a decade ago, at a noisy 80s night at a Korean disco (no kidding!) at little Korea, K-town, here in Chicago. It might have been the combination of everyone smoking, the boatload of kimchi, bottle after bottle of beers punctuated by a shot of soju, and the too-loud 80s tunes… but waking up the next morning I though to myself, well that wasn’t too bad now was it!

Last week I was in the area where a large K-centric mart is located, Super H Mart (are you familiar with this store?) and bought a small bottle of some soju, the name which I can’t pronounce – and downed the thing in a few gulps. It’s quite good, but I seem to remember that the soju I had in the K-disco tasted of (fruit? raisins?) distinctly. This soju I drank was “clean” and went down like smooth vodka. The smoother, better vodkas at any rate.

A few days ago I was at Super H Mart again and I bought another, different bottle of some other soju. I’m comparing the brands you might say – trying to find a favorite. Good thing you can buy them in small, pocket-sized bottles, best for experimentation. Until you find one that suits you… and then, well, time to put on some loud 80s music. :)