Soju is Korean Firewater: Al-Kee-Hol

Soju-a.k.a. Korean firewater-is the world's most popular spirit, selling twice as much as vodka (its closest competitor) each year. In this episode of Al-Kee-Hol, Charlet Duboc travels to Seoul to investigate the fascinating history and etiquette of soju drinking, which has been part of Korean culture for nearly a thousand years. And in the process, she gets out-of-this-world wasted.
More MUNCHIES Al-Kee-Hol:
Craft Beer in Japan - bit.ly/Craft-Beer-Japan
Getting to Know Golden - bit.ly/Getting-Golden
Exploding Sake For Breakfast - bit.ly/Exploding-Sake
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[@Dyrwen]

Man, do I ever miss Charlet having her own travel show.

[@wrarmatei]

Right?! She's fuckin' rad. Been rediscovering lots lately.

[@kidmackenzie]

And I miss Korea too

[@stedyedy23]

What does she do now? She should do more vice munchies docs they are they best

[@marioarroyo2006]

VICE always gets rid of its best hosts. I think they’ve proved that they can continually find new cool hosts.

[@davidharos8867]

I’m pretty sure she has babies now , wild girl

[@kuhmilch]

The camera guy is like: Fuck my life. I hate my job.

[@staindman00]

This level of production they have at least 5 more people there, 5 more miserable people..

[@benc640]

I spent a week or so in Seoul last month. One night I went to sleep after a night of relatively heavy drinking; call it 2am or so. I woke up the next day at 7am and went outside - there were South Koreans everywhere who were still out from the night before. Eating, drinking, laughing; it was great. I bloody love that place.

[@zhongtv]

"soju bring out the real you"....koean host turns black...

[@johnmaynard7342]

Lol

[@ShapelessHail]

You might even say it brings out your Seoul

[@fineandmellow6359]

ShapelessHail HA

[@primz87]

ZHONG.TV LOOOL

[@orangemoonglows2692]

ZHONG.TV he didn't do anything differently.

[@mightybison15]

Thats the coolest fucking bar ive ever seen

[@kevinmeli]

mightybison15 i know :O

[@sampark1868]

having lived in korea from 1996 to 1999, i really missed korea watching this video. it is so much more social and friendly than north America, as my korean friend once said to me after a night of dancing and eating "all we have in life is our love and our friends.....and a good bottle of soju".

[@boricuaislander]

dude, i agree, going somewhere other than America and then coming back made me realize how superficial culture is in the US.

[@MoonLight-zd3sb]

Sam Park holy moly the wisdom of 5000 year old man. To bad I'm a recovering alcoholic.

[@nodisrespect9052]

You said it just perfectly my friend. Cheers to a good life and stay positive

[@Spacemonkeymojo]

That's because White people are completely overrated.

[@bradenrodriguez5183]

I agree on the first part, but if you need Soju for all the other stuff ....that's a sad existence.

[@ikedaclaudio]

Charlet is the coolest tv host at Munchies channel.

[@RepDuval]

Cheaper than a bottle of beer here and less calories.I...I would be an alcoholic if I ever lived in South Korea.

[@MrTugLih]

not sure about the less calories part..

[@RepDuval]

I didn't look it up,but I'm sure I would consume way less calories getting drunk from this than getting drunk on beer.

[@pkiskool]

I'm korean and I've been drinking it for 10+ years now and I can assure you that this drink is garbage... it is not good for you at all. But, I love it.

[@RepDuval]

Peter K I'm sure that it probably doesn't taste good but the price is appealing to me.

[@pkiskool]

RepDuval oh trust me, it tastes just fine lol

[@radiofreeacab]

charlet's my favorite because she's never afraid to get fucked up with weirdos

[@Matowix]

the guy hits on her while they are drunk

[@hl0984]

+Matowix I would too

[@kevinmeli]

hl0984 lmao xD

[@bizzle187]

You accidentally typed that here instead of on your mom's Instagram

[@-----REDACTED-----]

Survived a semester in korea, no lasting liver damage. Tons of blurry yet probably awesome memories. Life goals...

[@sup3rghandi]

"I was beginning to feel some type of way" this lady cracks me up.

[@chrispascual8118]

This is the gold standard of documentary, genuinely fun to watch. We need more of this!

[@aorelain]

Dude, this is the best way of traveling. Mingling with the locals, breaking bread and getting pissed with them. I`m so jealous!!!

[@somalistarproduction]

I just love her, one of the best vice presenters. So willing to explore and make connections with the cultures she interacts with.

[@jjjeou]

I'm not the biggest fan of VICE but I love Charlet so much, she seems like such a fun person to hang out with! Kudos to you, Charlet!!

[@persianOUTKAST]

best part was @11:30... when you go out (no matter where you are in the world) there will ALWAYS be that one person that does this :P camera man: _"Who are they?"_ Charlet: *"MY NEW FRIENDS!!!"*

[@Toddzio]

I wished they had filmed the morning after, and Seoul's Hangover Cures.

[@KamagongTree]

"Why's the hangover so bad?" "Because that shit is ghetto as fuck" Best response ever in a Vice video

[@shararehali]

Seoul looks like a hell lot of fun! And Charlotte is so likable, sober and drunk! Also there was some kind of chemistry between her and that blogger.

[@Mirrorenergy]

Holy fuck that bar with the Le Chamber book was so fucking ballin.

[@Vortex]

Hahaha she seems like such a laugh. Its not just Korean culture where getting pissed brings out someones character. Its the same all over the world.

[@PT111111]

Not the same. In Australia, our drinking culture mandates that drunk people must annoy the fuck out of other people and start a fight.

[@Cobrinhacpbjj]

PT111111 hahahahaha spot on

[@Vortex]

PT111111 well that sounds pretty shit my friend. It does happen here in England but not that often.

[@gorillapimpin2978]

$1.10 in Korea $10.49 in Canada. This is larceny.

[@vegetagoku7308]

lol so true

[@MrAndyFoShoZ]

$13 in the US

[@NotBleu]

Found some Chum Churum at the local Korean BBQ for 6.99

[@jang1463]

Visited Canada, $20 CAD in some restaurants. Almost left the damn country.

[@hamishfrostlyon7681]

This is market arbitrage. *

[@TGCid01]

Had a friend that was over in S. Korea for the military & brought bottles of this home. You can hardly taste it & it goes down like water. Looking for a place nearby that sells it, about to check some Korean Farmers Markets. Love the stuff.

[@byungjoolee5153]

In Korea, you can buy soju at anytime and at anywhere, you can enjoy it almost anywhere, even in the public place like on the street. There is no legal obligation. haha!

[@NICKownsHALO27]

Damn I love this channel. So much to learn. If these videos don't inspire you to go out and travel around the world for the rest of your life, you have issues. If traveling was free you would never see me again.

[@H3art5]

11:26 that face when she realized it's not open....

[@palo011]

Charlet and Keith were so into each other lol

[@dojisatchivi1664]

@Anand Singh lol

[@XtrmZoomies]

I love S. Korea. This video made me laugh so hard. Night life REALLY is like this!

[@Raphanne]

Keith from Seoulistic! It's good to see him again. I'm glad to see that he is doing ok.

[@spiritjabari4729]

That S.Korean guide definitely got SOME off-camera. That UK girl gave it up!

[@latem777]

sucks to be the cameraman in there

[@strocat25]

my sister is from seoul south korea .. (my mom adopted her when she I was 1 month old and she was 3 years old) ... Yes I'm white, Yes She's adopted... I've always dreamed of being able to afford to take my sister and her son (my nephew) to south korea , I think it would be amazing for her to see the homeland where she was born.

[@strocat25]

***** theres no way, its literally impossible. i can barely afford to pay my bills each month.. plane tickets for 3 to seoul south korea are about 2,000$ US from what I can see. thats more than I make in 2 months time. its impossible

[@GarryChenYT]

+strocat25 Believe in yourself man!

[@TemujinKhan8]

+strocat25 You need to go, bro. I'm half Asian and half white, but was born and raised in America. My first time out of the country was 5 years ago and I did a trip that started in Japan and ended in Cambodia, where my dad is from. It was fun! A little tip: get a local to show you around or you will be charged the 'foreigner price' for everything. I found cabdrivers that spoke English (your age - not too old) and paid them for "tours."

[@nalagrz5773]

+strocat25 SOME DAY

[@jasonkim11]

Have you taken her yet? As a 26 year old australian born korean, i finally visted south korea for the first time last year. It was amazing.

[@messermoreaux1139]

These two are the friends we all wish we had

[@anonymousmc7727]

That has got to be one of my favorite episodes of munchies!!!! I was laughing the whole way

[@kuken2000]

I'm glad to see Charlet back in an great episode!

[@dkkim9613]

as a Korean living in Seoul right now, you have no idea how happy this video made me.. haha thank you so much Munchies! (:

[@charleneavila3818]

She seems like a blast, awesome episode. I need to visit Seoul.

[@majjj101]

I love it when Charlet narrates vice videos! Haha she's so funny!

[@brandonbrown8812]

Why am I just finding this gem of a show?!

[@FuPlaayz]

Great video documentary !

[@markalexander774]

A dollar a bottle, are you shitting me? Why can't we have alcohol that cheap in America?

[@krnpowr]

That's because Soju is just one level higher than moonshine. It's undistilled and it tastes like watered-down rubbing alcohol.

[@vsbgodb]

haha they do, just go to koreatown.

[@markalexander774]

Paul Yun So, in Koreatown you can get alcohol for like $1 or $2? The problem is that it would cost the 1 or 2 bucks in addition to the transportation costs to the nearest Koreatown which is in LA, and for that money, I'll buy a bottle of fine scotch.

[@trick384]

everyone would be perputually hungover then the economy would crash

[@mswhong1]

markalexander774 $2-$4 for a "bottle of fine scotch"?

[@jasperdiscovers]

I LOVED THIS VID SO MUCH!

[@christianpien]

Best Munchies episode for Charlet EVER!!!

[@SheenzaO]

I'm in love with Soju and Korean food. Amazing!!

[@mistyaqua]

So that's what pocari sweat is for!

[@victorinoxfan]

This episode is great

[@iainbrown4945]

just stumbled on this - its awesome !

[@davidadausuel4537]

I must say, that I really appreciate you doing this video, because before you did this video, I had no idea what Soju really was outside of the fact that it was a spirit. Thank you for sharing, and taking me into the experience of your exploration of this drink 🍸. Totally twenty thumbs up for you indeed!!!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@dublife475]

I can relate so heavily to this video after having nights like this with friends and family

[@olenjiblush]

loved it! I haven't tried Soju but now I think i will.

[@TheScandalessLife]

I love this channel

[@dambt]

Still a fantastic host! Great job, very entertaining!

[@InternationalAwayDays]

As a fellow Brit living in Korea, I can vouch for this! The only thing I would add is the "Noraebangs" or Karaoke Rooms which are huge rooms including every song under the sun. Boozing and singing - The best combination to find about about someone's character! :)

[@itskandykandy]

Keith!!! ㅋㅋㅋ I have been here and there with soju and my Korean friends in L.A.'s Koreatown. This vid is everything. Including the Dawn 808!

[@theluanvuong5886]

in Vietnam, those headphones would be vanished in like 5 seconds, haha

[@jinglebells5838]

i loved watching this!

[@abiolaamunikoro9368]

the guy liked her

[@ayeniszwan]

+Abiola Amunikoro but he got friendzone.

[@Cutsman562]

+Abiola Amunikoro i mean what guy wouldnt at least TRY. especially when youre drinking with a babe.

[@Andreitism]

+Abiola Amunikoro everyone does

[@LHswe]

Personality accounts for a lot in terms of attraction bud...perhaps you are the extremely superficial guy who only like the vapid but hot.

[@LHswe]

John Wayne Going straight back to the good ol' ad hominem. Stay classy, slaying puss with the red pill bro's, you straight A original...John Wayne.

[@Munchies]

In this episode of _Al-Kee-Hol_, Charlet Duboc travels to Seoul to investigate the fascinating history and etiquette of soju drinking, which has been part of Korean culture for nearly a thousand years.

[@JasonCtutorials]

chinese fire water. Gao Liang or Mout Tai, it's like drinking 151.

[@MsJingleMingle]

Someone take me to korea

[@skullzies785]

jasonc_tutorials its much worse than 151 its like hell fire once you drink it. I'm viet but my gf is chinese and i met a lot of her family and i tried that and it was the worst decision ive ever made

[@JasonCtutorials]

Kha Pham dude I know. It's fermented pig fodder. That's what gao liang is.

[@skullzies785]

its disgusting.

[@sagechae5473]

I just binge watched five of these videos, and Charlet seems like a really fun person to hang out with. On a side note, her legs stretch on for eternity.

[@goatmusic4771]

7:53 the word you're looking for is lit

[@yourcuppaJOE]

i am so obsessed with muchies!

[@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials]

My gf is Korean on her mother's side. I drink soju pretty much every weekend, somewhere between 7-10 shots @ 20% by volume. Delicious stuff. Love sake too.

[@OneGuyFromCanada]

people that talk about the volume of alcohol they drink have self-esteem issues. who cares. drink as much as you care to and keep it to yourself

[@TrylleBanjo]

20%? That's cute :D Hahahahaha! Hit up any non-teenage-bullshit bar in Denmark, get served 40% shots right in the kisser.

[@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials]

No thanks, I prefer Asian rice wine over any other alcoholic poison.

[@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials]

Yes, depends on the liquor store. Ask them all until you find one.

[@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials]

Jinro

[@stahchild]

The silent disco scene was amazing what a great idea lol

[@karstenberning]

KEITH!! YEAHH long time no see!! :D

[@duke8579]

This looked pretty fun.

[@jourdainsanders1945]

This looked like so much fun. I want to go drink in Korea now

[@OG_Nimrod]

When she said were are we going I thought he was about to be like my apartment 😂😂😂

[@kathleenmms]

I wish it was easier to get soju here. There are no asian markets in my town. I tried soju yogurt cocktail once and it was amazing!

[@promiscuousgirl21]

You can order it online and have it shipped to your house from binnys.com from a single bottle to a case. Try hmart.com as well for korean products and soju

[@inquisitvem6723]

what city do you live that has no asian markets? sounds odd

[@Mrskwonable]

They sell it in ALL liquor stores where I live. Lol

[@anasandoval6698]

Khaitoon Katy Kendall Many liquor and grocery stores will carry Sake, but not Soju. The area where you live has a major part in accessing it, City v. sub burbs v. out in the middle of nowhere.

[@anasandoval6698]

***** YOU may not drink sake, but many people do. Please don't make generalizations of the drinking habits or height of Japanese people, as the same could be said about Koreans and soju (and that's not nice, is it?). The original post was about WHERE to buy soju. Read before you type next time.

[@eMiLy-gr1pz]

I'm from Belgium Flanders where drinking is part of the culture here and I recently bought a bottle of soju and a few bottles of flavored soju for the first time and I was so excited to taste it and when I drank it it didn't even had a strong taste I let my friends taste it and they tought the same but the flavored ones taste so good but we don't consider it as a strong drink it's flavored water and we don't get drunk by it lol but we still love to drink it cause it jist tastes good

[@TheJusnic82]

the rave party where everyone wears headphones to hear the music is a wicked idea

[@douglassong7647]

Majority of bars I went to in Seoul had more of a attitude where someone would rather get their own bottle of Soju and down it with another friend who has their own bottle..

[@TimEnjoysGnocchis]

man I had fun watching this!

[@jst4curiosity704]

Sign me up to do a piece like this one, Charlotte! Jeez - looks fun~!

[@t88boost]

After the soju, he gave her the egg roll

[@Sahasrahla.]

"It's kind of... like, madness-inducing." My dear, I believe the word you're looking for is "drunk", which you seem to be currently.

[@BlueonGoldZ]

I don't drink frequently as the taste of alcohol doesn't appeal to me but I CAN drink and can drink a pretty good amount. With that being said, soju is my favorite of the "hard liquors" as it tends to have a neutral, smooth and even a slightly sweet taste but can be strong enough depending on the grade you get.

[@christiandiaz9245]

I love the Al-Kee-Hol series! So fking good.

[@xpinkHOLIC]

Charlet is so adorable!

[@rachellivingstone140]

omg chalet and Keith were VIBBBBINg

[@Adadourian]

*books flight to south korea for spring break*

[@Mumspaghettti]

CHARLET IS BACK YESSSSSS

[@kingpanda1]

Thanks for the video! God bless to all!

[@danielfreeley5217]

such an interesting drinking culture in Korea. Much vibrance

[@LucidEyes17]

"It strips the paint of life away" lmao I love Charlotte

[@feliciasa]

Watching this made me want to have drinks with my friends ha!

[@KBKim-jt6uj]

Korean drinking culture with Chinese Kung fu music? LOL

[@mdogzino]

Nice catch, probably cheaper to license over Korean music.

[@Crs_One]

Some racist ass shit.

[@criscoulter4405]

Adorable! You rock darlin

[@gamestarr16]

past the whole "Charlet is so hawt!!1!1!!!" argument, I legitimately think that her vice stories are among the best. Love your content Charlet, keep it up!

[@KpxRagDoll]

lol you already know he hit that

[@lucerianeo6509]

That big sister moment when he passed out and she gives him a kiss on the head. I'm d'awwing so much right now

[@wasabi_lub6893]

Already 8 year's?! Damn!! And it just pop up now

[@TrylleBanjo]

Korean drinking culture - just like Scandinavian drinking culture. You bond, make new friends and so on. That quip "we don't trust people that don't drink" as very much true in Denmark. If you abstain from the pleasures in life, you're the odd one.

[@MoonLight-zd3sb]

Miki Guyface I'm a recovering alcoholic :/ can I just get a grape soda or will I get assault ed for such a gesture.

[@HKim0072]

Except, Korean drinking culture is very centric. You hang out with your own group and don’t interact with other groups. It would get old after a while.

[@JustMeHanna1113]

@@MoonLight-zd3sb The thing is (and I'm speaking about Denmark here) that drinking is just a natural assumed part of social gatherings. With friends or colleagues. My dad is a recovering alcoholic, he's been sober for 19 years, but he never attends work parties and it's not because he's not welcome, it's just because it's not as fun when you're the odd one out. Generally it's also not as fun being only sober person when everyone else is drunk...

[@ccxlolz]

I so need to visit seuol

[@keithmakan8178]

The entrance to Le Chamber IS SO FUCKING COOL!!!

[@How2Guru]

God I wish Charlet would come back again. I love watching her on here

[@kevinliu6002]

This drinking culture is over the top. You can always trust someone from the actions they take. The silent disco was a nice surprise!

[@DukeSolaire]

My local liqour store sells soju in two liter bottles (might be 1.5 actually) that look like soda bottles. Many good times with those.. It does kinda taste like watered down vodka tho.

[@AndrewE8001]

What's name of the song playing at 11:21?

[@lifeisaliewithoutaf]

Soju is so fucking evil, such a damn sneaky creeper, one moment you think you're fine and the next you've fallen asleep in Korean BBQ and start snoring.

[@Erik_A06]

Yasssssss CHARLET IS BACK!!!✌💖