As the thermometer plunges, Korean restaurants offer an antidote to winter’s chill with traditional meals of sizzling barbecues and hearty stews.

But hot food isn’t the only way to warm up, Korean-style. Along with food, Koreans are very fond of beer, wine and spirits.

“Koreans are heavy drinkers,” said Chris Sun, bar manager at the Korean restaurant Chi-Q.

“The food is quite spicy and heavily flavored, but the liquors are actually light in taste,” he said.

Two of the most popular alcohols are makgeolli and soju.

Makgeolli is a slightly sweet rice wine that originated in Korea. It’s fermented from rice or sometimes wheat, mixed with nuruk, a Korean fermentation starter.

It’s become a rather fashionable drink in recent years. The tangy, milky flavor is similar to Chinese fermented sticky rice wine. Its alcohol content is 5 to 7 percent.

“Makgeolli is the product of the first step in making soju and sake,” Sun said. “Yeast and water are added to cooked rice, store in a jar for two weeks, and then it’s ready to drink.”

The popularity of the drink stems from claims that it has nutritional value and health benefits as well as low alcohol content. It is also considerately cheaper than other Korean alcoholic beverages.

“It’s sweet and smooth, easy to drink and good for the skin, too,” Sun said.

The yeast in makgeolli creates a strong taste, and the beverage also contains ingredients that don’t break down completely. It is frequently paired with fresh fruit that’s sweet.

P’ut P’ut is a cocktail Sun mixes using makgeolli, combined with lychee, raspberries and champagne. The drink is quite sweet but very refreshing.

Soju is to Koreans what tequila is to Mexicans and vodka to Russians. It’s the nation’s most popular alcoholic beverage. The most high-profile distiller is Jinro.

“Soju is similar to vodka, but vodka is made from wheat, rye or corn, and soju is traditionally made from rice,” Sun said.

Koreans have developed soju to its fullest potential. In addition to the original soju distilled from just rice, there are also varieties using ginseng, ginger, wolfberry and “five-flavor berry,” or Schisandra chinensis. Plums, pears and black raspberries also may be added.

Additional ingredients are added in different stages of the distillation process, Sun said.

“One variety is baekseju, which translates as ‘100-year-old wine,’” Sun said. “The soju is infused with ginseng, ginger and other herbs, creating the flavor of a medicinal wine is more palatable to many people.”

According to legend, those who drink the glutinous rice-based fermented alcohol will live to triple digits.

Bohae bokbunja is a black raspberry wine made by infusing wild black raspberries in soju for three to five years, even up to seven years, to extract the rich fruity flavor. The alcohol content is about 15 percent. The purplish drink is not too strong and quite tasty.

Soju is also an ingredient in various cocktails because the alcohol itself is colorless and has no special taste. In an adaption of the classic French cocktail Kir, made with blackcurrant liqueur and white wine, the crème de cassis is replaced with bokbunja and topped up with champagne.

“My favorite Korean beverage is the watermelon soju cocktail, which is perfect for summer because it’s refreshing and light,” said Tina Cai, a fan of Korean food. “It’s also fun when the cocktail is served in a watermelon bowl.”

Watermelon soju is easy to make. Simply mix fresh watermelon juice with soju in a pitcher, stir well and add ice cubes. The same concept may also be applied to other juice-flavored soju, using pineapple or lemon.

Unlike sake, soju is best enjoyed chilled.

In Korean cuisine, cheongju is a clear rice wine similar to Japanese sake, with variations in the yeast used for brewing.

“The clear rice wine is made by filtering and purifying makgeolli again and again, and the alcohol content is not so high at between 12 and 20 percent,” Sun said.

The wine is often paired with fruits like peaches, pears and plums. It can also be combined with spirits like vodka and gin.

Koreans also like what is called the “bomb drink”— a mixed cocktail similar to the boilermaker in the US, which features a shot of whiskey in a glass of beer. In Korea, people like to mix soju and beer in a drink called poktanju.

The bomb shot is a popular drinking fad when friends or work colleagues get together. Because the drinking culture in Korea consumes alcohol in large quantities and also mixes different alcohols, drinkers with low alcohol tolerance are cautioned to go easy.

“I recall a table of six Korean guests polishing off a whole case of sake and countless beers at one sitting,” Sun said. “Koreans really can drink a lot, and parents in Korea normally teach their children how to drink, especially the girls.”

Drinking in South Korea follows a certain etiquette. One must pour and receive a drink respectfully, with two hands, and empty cups must be refilled immediately.

Food to accompany Korean liquors

Perhaps the most noted pairing of food and drink in Korea is fried chicken with beer, a craze sparked in China by the popular Korean TV drama “My Love from the Star.”

This combo, also known as Chi-Mc (chimaek), attained celebrity status when the heroine of the TV series said on a winter’s day: “It’s snowing. How can you not have chimaek?” Numerous Korean restaurants and Korean-style fried chicken shops suddenly had long waiting lines after fans of the show posted pictures of chicken and beer on Weibo and WeChat. The city of Ningbo has also hosted a Chi-Mc festival in 2014.

“Chi-Mc is comfort food that makes people very happy,” said Cai.

Sweet makgeolli is an ideal partner with jeon, a pancake dish made with meat, seafood or vegetables.

Soju, meanwhile, is said to be the perfect accompaniment to samgyeopsal, the grilled pork belly dish served with spicy sauce, vegetables and lettuce leaves.

Like Chinese cuisine, Korean cuisine also features “finger foods” called anju, to be eaten while drinking. It’s something akin to tapas in Spanish bars. Common anju dishes include nuts, fried foods and dishes with strong flavors like spicy stir-fried octopus.