Soju Watermelon Cocktail

Hello everyone! Today I’d like to introduce you to Subak Soju, a very popular cocktail in Korean bars in America that you can easily make at home. It’s made with soju, which is the #1 distilled beverage in Korea but not well known to the rest of the world. If you can’t find it in a Koreatown near you, you can substitute it with vodka.

The fun thing about subak soju is that you can use the blended flesh of the watermelon to make your drink and use the watermelon shell to serve it in — nothing is wasted! The first time I ever tried something like this was at one of my favorite Korean bars in Manhattan, Pocha 32. They make it from half of a large watermelon that everyone at the table can share together, not with small watermelons like I do in this video.

Whichever method you use, the ratio of soju to blended watermelon is 1:1. People love the floating ice and the delicious watermelon in this drink – it’s sweet, cold, and very refreshing. But be careful! It tastes very fruity but there’s a lot of alcohol inside!

This video was filmed at the Tastemade kitchen studios in Los Angeles with Hilah of Hilahcooking. Jimmy Wong of Feast of Fiction also stopped by for a drink. Check out their channels and subscribe to them, they are all pretty cool.

Ingredients (Serves 4-8):

• 2 small seedless watermelons, kept in the fridge
• 2 bottles of soju, kept in the fridge (about 4 cups’ worth)
• 2 cups of ice cubes

Directions:

1. Cut off the top of watermelon. Scoop the flesh out with a spoon and put it in a blender. Set aside the watermelon bowls.
2. Blend the watermelon flesh for 1 minute, until smooth.
3. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the blended watermelon through it. Press down with a spoon to strain it well. Discard the pulp. Remove the foam from the top with a spoon.
4. Measure 4 cups of blended watermelon juice and put it into a pitcher. Add 4 cups of soju and mix well.
5. Pour the mixture into the watermelon bowl and add ice cubes.
6. Serve cold with a green onion pancake.