As a Russian, I really like pictures. The custom of infusing vodkas with herbs and botanicals, like punchy horseradish and tangy black currant leaves, is one which’s particularly expensive to me. That’s why on the not too long ago opened Orion Bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn, I felt significantly at dwelling because of a spread of equally complicated, infused soju pictures, that are among the many many Korean ingesting staples taking middle stage within the bar’s beverage program.

One of the vital fascinating pictures is the Samgyetang Ju, which is impressed by a Korean rooster soup of the identical identify that’s made with ginseng and different medicinal herbs. Restorative and hearty, the stick-to-your-bones dish is eaten each on scorching scorching days to chill off and within the winter to heat up. As a shot, the serve—with notes of jujube, chestnut and licorice root—instantly appears like a heat hug. 

To make the infusion, Orion Bar’s co-owner Irene Yoo makes use of Jinro 24 soju, chosen for its increased proof, which permits higher taste extraction. She combines it with samgyetang herbs, which will be discovered at Korean supermarkets as a package for the soup. From there, it’s a easy serve; “the toughest half about making this [soju] is getting a maintain of these herbs in bulk,” says Yoo. There is no such thing as a precise rooster broth within the shot—“so it doesn’t style like rooster soup,” she provides—however the infused herbs seize the identical comforting sensation nonetheless. They might even, she jokes, provide the identical well being advantages. 

Yoo’s most popular approach to drink the shot is to chase it with the Korean vitality drink Bacchus D, which tastes like apple juice with a little bit of a medicinal tang. The pairing is offered on the bar’s menu because the Soju Power Bomb. “You will have that and you’re good to go for the night time,” says Yoo. “You’re energized, you’re vitalized, you’re like, ‘Let’s go!’” However even by itself, the Samgyetang Ju is ideal as a shot firstly of a meal or for sipping alongside dinner.

Like its namesake soup, samgyetang soju will be loved in any season: It’s inviting, comforting and brings individuals collectively. I’ll be making a bottle for my vacation desk this yr, and I recommend you do the identical.