The BarTrek Philosophy is simple: Explore Everything! Inspiration often lies in surprise.

The BarTrek Goal is three-fold:
1) Research cutting edge craft cocktail programs and seek outside-the-box culinary inspiration from spice shops, bakeries, confectioners, savory menus & fresh markets – the same place today’s best bartenders & chefs go for inspiration. 2) Capture discoveries and create flavors to provide exciting, innovative and authentic products and 3) Provide inspiration for the products of tomorrow!

Everyday journeys

Join us here for the latest inspiration from the Givaudan Beverage Alcohol Team.

While we all enjoy the exhilarating experience of a coordinated Trek with the sole objective of seeking out inspiration, the reality is that these opportunities don’t always come as frequently as we all would like – so we keep our eyes peeled and seek inspiration from our everyday experiences with food, beverages, shopping, cooking, cocktailing, reading and relaxing, to bring you bits of inspiration for your reading pleasure.

Korean Sips

Korean cuisine certainly seems to experiencing a revival of sorts. Menus across the country are putting the spotlight on ingredients and dishes mainstream and exotic from Kimchi to Bulgogi and Gochujang to Anchovy Broth. Get ready to meet your new favorite sip: Makgeolli, or Korean Rice Wine, pronounced mə-ˈkˈgō-lē. Beer, Soju and Sake have been our dependable staples at the Korean Restaurant Bar, but perhaps we should make room for one more!

According to Foodpairing.com, the Makgeolli, a traditional Korean rice wine, develops its full range of aromas — fruity, floral, spicy, woody and cheesy — through the process of natural fermentation. They have a full article about it, which I’ve provided a link to below.

Enter Yoon Jin-won, the head of the Korea Liquor Culture Institute (KLCI) and expert on makgeolli, who created the Makegeolli cocktail by mixing the milky liquor with fresh fruit juices.

“A lot of young students and women enjoy the cocktails. They are different, light, pretty, tasty and go well with any type of food. Some of the most popular are the peach, strawberry and pineapple,” Yoo Gwang-il, Manager, Dduktak, told The Korea Times

“We came up with the cocktail to revive makgeolli. We already knew how to make the best makgeolli and we wondered how we could attract the younger crowd. We added fresh fruits such as peach and kiwis, and it became a hit instantly,” Yoon said. There are 15 different types you can choose from at the restaurant Dduktak, including strawberry, peach, blueberry and even raspberry.”

The revival of Makegeolli feels so similar to our own homegrown trend so many American bar programs have successfully cultivated: capitalize on the authenticity of a spirit with ancient roots and a forgotten history, but revive it with a fresh, modern twist. For now, I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for this milky liquor at my local Korean restaurants to see if it lives up to the excitement!

건배 (geonbae), which is Korean for Cheers!