The first time I tried Korean Soju was when I was living in Hong Kong. That was a couple of years back but I still remember that we went to a restaurant for dinner and a friend just recently came back from Korea. He had a big bottle of what he said was a really good soju that his Korean colleagues gifted him. It tasted strong but we all enjoyed it.
Since then, I have always opted to drink soju if it was available. There’s just something so refreshing about it that I get to enjoy with meals or just when I am at home. So many ways you can have it, by shots, mix it to make cocktails or sip it. The options are endless.
Now the interesting part (or should I say delicious?) is the flavored soju that you can get straight from the bottle. My personal favorites are the ones from Jinro Korea. They have a couple of fruit-flavored soju but my top 3 favorites are: Jinro Strawberry, Jinro Grapefruit, and Jinro Green Grape – all are at 13% ABV.
Hitejinro (the makers of Jinro original and fruit-flavored soju) made sure to bring the most Authentic Korean soju to the Philippines. It is now made easier to purchase a bottle or two since they launched their own website (but because I don’t like waiting, I just check the nearby supermarket if they have some stocks).
Looking back to my first experience of drinking soju, I really enjoyed the flavored soju more. Korean soju is sweeter and no need to mix it as a cocktail since they already have its fruity taste – means less preparation, less mess to clean up, just make sure to chill it before serving.
I have a very particular liking when it comes to my drinks, it has to be a bit citrusy or a little sour hence why I like the strawberry, grapefruit and green grape flavored soju. Feels like I am just drinking juice! But as usual drink moderately, no matter how good these Jinro Korean Soju are. I’d also like to add that these are also the fruits that I really like to snack on so having them incorporated into my soju is super plus points!
When it comes to the price of soju, Jinro soju is priced reasonably, around P150 per bottle. There are usually discounts or promos ongoing so make sure that you check that if you are planning to try or stock up at home. We never know when it will be a liquor ban again here in Manila.
For now, I’ll enjoy my flavored soju by the pool (my Jinro Strawberry was the first one I had that’s why its not in the photo anymore – just shows how good it is!).
To read more about HITEJINRO Philippines, you can visit their official website here.
