The Korean craze or “hallyu” entered the Philippines a decade ago when the foreign drama “Jewel in the Palace” landed on our TV sets and introduced hansik (traditional Korean food) to Filipinos. Hallyu, with its Koreanovelas, K-Pop, and Korean food, has proven to be a major pop culture influence for the past decade. And its drawing power just quadrupled with everyone staying at home most of the time. As we’re glued to our TV sets, phones, and laptops, we get to learn more about the Korean way of life and their drinking habits.

When it comes to drinking, nothing can beat soju, South Korea’s favorite liquor. This drink is often seen in K-drama scenes where everyone’s having the time of their lives or during serious moments that’s why it’s no wonder that more Pinoys are now curious about what it tastes like.

For those who haven’t had soju yet, it has this kick that you won’t even notice until you’re done with the whole bottle. Those who have tried soju have taken a step further and are coming up with creative mixes like the Soju-Yakult combination. In fact, the most viewed page on DrinkManila.com is our Soju Yakult Cocktail recipe! Watch the recipe video here.

DrinkManila’s Soju Yakult

Then there’s the sudden fame of dalgona coffee. Although this trend did not originate from a Korean show, it first became popular as a South Korean street treat back in the 1970s and 1980s. A few years after its heyday, dalgona resurfaced again this January when popular Korean actor Jung Il-Woo showed how to make the drink. Dalgona is known in Korea as ppopgi or “honeycomb toffee” and for many South Koreans, this evoked strong memories of a honeycomb snack from their childhood making it famous again not just in their country, but this time all over the world.

DrinkManila’s Dalgona Coffee

With its easy steps, you can make dalgona coffee with just three ingredients. Making dalgona coffee became a trend over Tiktok and the finished drink itself has become an Instagram feed staple especially when coffee shops were closed due to the pandemic. This coffee trend definitely pleased young coffee goers who crave for that aesthetic and luxurious taste of coffee. Learn how to make the viral dalgona coffee here.

It seems that Filipinos have adapted the Korean drinking culture from frequently watching Korean shows. Seeing these Korean drama’s aesthetic coffee shop settings and night scenes, drinking beer or Soju while eating some fried chicken has been a huge influence on their viewers. Who wouldn’t want to experience life as exciting as their favorite K-drama characters right? The closest way that people can connect and feel this is through drinking their famous beverages. It also helps that we know how to have a good time with friends just like how the Koreans do it! We can simply relax and have a catch up with friends at a coffee shop, then there’s the karaoke jamming, drinking games, and long chats that no doubt can make drinking sessions more fun.

Looking at the trends these past few months, it seems like there are more Korean drinks coming our way soon. There’s the Makgeolli, a milky alcoholic beverage made of rice wine, which will once again pique the interest of Filipinos. Although this drink has not officially arrived in the Philippine shores yet, this would seem like a huge hit to everyone who loved Soju.

Other Korean beverages have also been making waves on our shores. Honey Lemon and Banana Milk drinks are readily available in the metro; and the Sujeonggwa- a Korean traditional cinnamon punch made from gotgam (dried persimmons) and ginger and is often garnished with pine nuts and is usually served as a dessert drink. A visit to your neighborhood Korean grocery is like a treasure hunt for new treats and drinks. You never know what you’ll discover.

Honey Lemon from Korea

With how the Hallyu culture is currently taking the world by storm, it’ll be no surprise that a new drink from this country will soon emerge and take over our newsfeeds again.

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