Old Becomes New:
Makgeolli, Korea's Oldest Liquor, Becomes A Cultural Icon Once More
 Makgeolli, an ancient Korean rice wine noted for its milky complexion and relatively-low alcohol content, is once more finding favor with the locals amidst the wealth of local and foreign tipples on the market, and looking set to become a new promotional icon for the city of Seoul.
Historically, it was a drink anyone could make at home, helping make both its production and consumption a communal activity. Today, this long-surviving mainstay of Korean culture is finding favor with state officials, increasingly making its way onto the tables of official dinners, while at the same time gaining new popularity overseas.
It is not alone: many other forms of traditional Korean liquor are rising to prominence in the marketplace, including baekseju, a rice wine blended with herbs and ginseng, maesilju, a popular wine based on the Chinese plum, and sansachun, derived from the fruit of the Chinese hawthorn.
Part of the reason for makgeolli's massive comeback may lie in its affordability, particularly in the wake of the current economic downturn. This has helped endear it with the youth market, and indeed anyone seeking more value for money. At the same time however, it has long been recognized for its health benefits, and as an iconic Korean beverage on par with the grape wines of the West and sake to the East. As makgeolli parties are becoming a new fad, it is seeing, as some might argue, a long-overdue reappraisal.
Foreigners keen to discover what all the fuss is about may like to visit the Herb Medicine Museum (http://museum.ddm.go.kr), which is currently running a program on makgeolli-making for overseas visitors, as well as special ˇ®Makgeolli Night'. It is hoped that the program will help bring the traditional beverage to new international prominence, and is recommended as a team-building event to meeting planners.
 Customarily, makgeolli is best-served with long-standing local favorite dishes pajeon, or Korean pancake filled with various ingredients, and bindaedok, another type of Korean pancake made with mung beans. Special restaurants are dedicated to the provision of these specific cultural favorites and can be found across the city-often packed with the fare's fans.
As the 21st Century breathes a new lease of life into this most seminal of Korean liquors, why not sample it for yourself and discover the drink of generations?
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