Soju cocktail is the perfect antidote to a hot summer's day, with its refreshing burst of flavors and cool, crisp texture. The sweetness of the watermelon, the kick of soju, and the subtle hint of maple syrup blend perfectly to deliver a cocktail that is both delicious and satisfying.

Table of Contents
- What is a Soju Cocktail?
- Why You’ll Love This Soju Cocktail Recipe
- Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Soju Cocktail
- How to Make Soju Cocktail (Step by Step)
- Joyce’s Tips For Making the Best Soju Cocktail
- Serving Suggestions
- Recipe Variation Ideas for Soju Cocktail
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Store Leftover Soju Cocktail
- Did You Make This Recipe?
- Recipe Card
A Soju cocktail is a Korean alcoholic beverage made from rice, wheat, or barley. It is a versatile drink that can be enjoyed straight, mixed with other ingredients, or used in a variety of cocktails, like the one we're discussing today.
What sets this Soju cocktail recipe apart is its unique blend of flavors and the use of fresh, natural ingredients. The watermelon adds a sweet, fruity touch, the soju provides the right amount of kick, and the maple syrup enhances the overall taste.
The result is a cocktail that is not only delicious but also refreshing and light. So why not give it a try? You might just find your new favorite summer drink!
Read on to learn exactly how to make this delicious soju cocktail recipe today!
What is a Soju Cocktail?
A Soju cocktail is a delightful and refreshing alcoholic beverage that originates from South Korea. The main ingredient is Soju, a clear, vodka-like drink with a significantly lower alcohol content.
Mixed with a variety of other ingredients such as lemons, sprite, tonic water, and even yakult, Soju cocktail offers a wide array of flavors and variations, including the popular strawberry Soju cocktail, Soju mojito, and Soju caipirinha.
This watermelon soju cocktail that we’ll be making today has the perfect blend of refreshing flavors and is going to become your new favorite summer drink!
Making a Soju cocktail at home is a fantastic way to explore Korean cuisine and impress your guests with a unique and exotic drink. The taste is simply irresistible, with a perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors, coupled with the refreshing taste of Soju.
Whether you're hosting a party or simply enjoying a quiet evening at home, a Soju cocktail is sure to enhance your experience with its delightful taste and refreshing feel.
Why You’ll Love This Soju Cocktail Recipe
Delicious: The combination of sweet watermelon, smooth soju, and caramelized sweetness from the maple syrup creates a cocktail that's delightfully refreshing and tasty. It is a drink that you'll want to make again and again.
Easy to make: This soju cocktail recipe is as simple as it gets. All you need to do is blend the watermelon, strain it, and mix it with soju and maple syrup. There's no need for complex methods or hard-to-find ingredients, making it a breeze to whip up.
Versatile: This cocktail is versatile and you can easily adjust the sweetness to your liking with a bit of maple syrup or honey. You can also garnish it with your favorite herbs like mint or basil to add a burst of freshness.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Soju Cocktail
All you need are some incredibly simple, pantry-staple ingredients to make this delicious soju cocktail recipe at home.
Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.
- Seedless Watermelon: The star of this soju cocktail recipe, watermelon brings a refreshing and sweet flavor to the mix. The sweetness level of your cocktail will largely depend on how sweet your watermelon is. Check out the tips below to learn how to pick a sweet one.
- Soju: This is the alcohol content of the cocktail. It is a popular Korean spirit that pairs wonderfully with watermelon. Soju is light on flavor and is amazing in cocktails but if you can't find soju, you can substitute it for sake or half the amount of vodka.
- Maple Syrup: This ingredient is a secret weapon to help smooth out the alcohol bite from the soju. If you don't have maple syrup, honey makes a great substitution, but you might need to melt the honey with a bit of warm water before adding it to the watermelon juice, since honey tends to solidify when it is cold.
How to Make Soju Cocktail (Step by Step)
Making this incredible soju cocktail recipe at home is super easy and will give you great results every single time. Here's how to make it step by step:
Preparing the Watermelon Base
Remove and Cut: Start by removing the skin from the watermelon. Cut the watermelon into small chunks that will easily fit into your blender.
Blend: Place the watermelon chunks into the blender and blitz until it reaches a liquid consistency. Don't worry if it becomes frothy; this is normal.
Strain: Pour the blended watermelon juice through a strainer into a large bowl or pitcher. If the juice is very frothy, you might want to run it through the strainer twice to remove some of the foam.
Mixing the Cocktail
Add Soju and Maple Syrup: To the bowl or pitcher, add a bottle of soju and some maple syrup. Mix these ingredients together until well combined.
Chill: Place the mixture in the refrigerator for about an hour, or until it is cold.
Serving the Cocktail
Ice and Garnish: When ready to serve, fill glasses with plenty of ice. Pour the chilled cocktail over the ice, and garnish with sprigs of fresh basil or mint. If you have them, adding some flowers to the garnish can make the presentation even more appealing. Enjoy your refreshing soju cocktail!
Joyce’s Tips For Making the Best Soju Cocktail
Choose a Ripe and Sweet Seedless Watermelon: The sweetness of your cocktail largely depends on how sweet your watermelon is. To pick a juicy and sweet watermelon, make sure it feels heavy for its size - the heavier the watermelon, the juicier it will be! Try to also find one with a creamy yellow bottom, which is the spot that is sitting on the ground - the yellower the spot, the more ripe and sweet it will be. Make sure you pick a seedless watermelon.
Use Maple Syrup or Honey: To smooth out the alcohol bite in your soju cocktail, add a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey. This brings a caramelized sweetness to your drink without making it overly sweet.
Double Strain your Cocktail: When blending your watermelon, the mixture may become foamy. To get a smoother cocktail, strain your juice twice to remove most of the foam.
Soju Substitution: If you can't find soju, you can also substitute it with half the amount of vodka.
Serving Suggestions
- Kick off your Korean feast with a refreshing Soju Cocktail! It pairs brilliantly with the spicy and sweet flavors of Easy Tteokbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes). The cool watermelon and mint will help to balance out the heat from the dish.
- Hosting a BBQ party? Serve your Soju Cocktail alongside Jeyuk Bokkeum (Spicy Korean Pork Bulgogi). The smoky, spicy pork will be complemented by the sweet and fruity cocktail, making for an unforgettable flavor combination.
- For a fun movie night, pair your Soju Cocktail with Korean Fried Popcorn Turkey Nuggets. The crispy, savory nuggets and the refreshing, fruity cocktail will definitely be a hit!
- If you're planning a summer picnic, don't forget to pack your Soju Cocktail! It would be a refreshing accompaniment to your picnic staples and the watermelon flavor is just perfect for those hot summer days.
- For a unique twist on a afternoon snack, serve your Soju Cocktail with Korean Corn Cheese (Elote Style). The sweet and spicy cocktail will enhance the creamy, cheesy flavors of the corn.
- Planning a stir fry night? This Soju Subak is a great match for Easy Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles Stir Fry). The light, refreshing cocktail will balance the light, savory flavors of the stir fry springy noodles.
Recipe Variation Ideas for Soju Cocktail
This delicious soju cocktail recipe is so flavorful and easy to make, you'll want to try out some of these delicious variations! Here are some great ideas:
Make it a Soju Mojito: For mint lovers, this variation is a must-try. Add about ten mint leaves to the blender along with the watermelon. The mint leaves will give your cocktail a refreshing twist, perfect for a hot summer day.
Turn it into a Soju Caipirinha: If you love the taste of lemons, this variant is for you. Simply replace the watermelon juice with lemon juice and add a cup of soju. Lemon's tanginess combined with soju's smoothness works great.
Make a Strawberry Soju Cocktail: For a fruity twist, replace the watermelon with strawberries. The strawberries add a lovely color and a sweet-tart flavor to your Soju cocktail, making it even more enjoyable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The sweetness of this Soju cocktail primarily depends on how sweet your watermelon is. However, you can easily adjust it by adding a bit of maple syrup or honey.
To make your cocktail smoother and reduce the initial alcohol bite, add a tablespoon of maple syrup. Its caramelized sweetness won't make the drink overly sweet but will soften the alcohol's sharpness. If you don't have maple syrup, honey makes a good substitute.
The watermelon mixture can become foamy when you blend it. But don't worry; you can easily remove most of the foam by straining the juice twice. This process will give your cocktail a smoother texture.
How to Store Leftover Soju Cocktail
If you have any leftover soju subak, store it in the fridge for up to one day. This delicious cocktail is best enjoyed fresh. Since it’s so easy to make, I recommend making it fresh and chilling it in the refrigerator before enjoying it
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Recipe Card
Soju Watermelon Cocktail
Joyce's Recipe Notes
- If you are substituting maple syrup with honey, melt the honey with 1 tablespoon of hot or warm water before adding it into the juice so that it mixes in smoothly without sugar clumps which can settle on the bottom. Honey tends to solidify when it gets cold.
- If you are substituting the maple syrup for honey, try to use darker honey (like buckwheat honey) for a bit more flavor.
- You can omit the alcohol in this cocktail to make it a virgin cocktail
- If you can't find soju, you can also substitute it with vodka.
Ingredients
- 4 cups seedless watermelon (3 lb)
- 1 bottle soju (360ml)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
Instructions
- Remove the skin and cut the watermelon up into smaller pieces that will fit into a blender
- In a blender, blitz it until it is liquidy (don't worry if it becomes frothy)
- In a large bowl or large pitcher, pour out the watermelon juice through a strainer. If it is very frothy, you can run it through the strainer twice to remove some of the foaminess.
- Add the bottle of soju and 1 tablespoon maple syrup and mix
- Refrigerate for an hour or until it is cold.
- Serve with lots of ice and sprigs of basil or mint (with flowers) as a garnish and enjoy!
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
Josie says
When I saw your watermelon drink photo , it reminded me we had bought a big seasonal watermelon yesterday. I can blend it with Soju cocktail refreshing drink.....
Thanks .
Joyce Lee says
Hi Josie,
It's a great way to use a watermelon! I'm happy to share this!
heather (delicious not gorgeous) says
DARN IT i'm sad i'm just seeing this now! this looks so refreshing and i love anything fruity with soju (: there's bars in northern california that have drinks like this served in a emptied out watermelon!
Joyce says
You're in SoCal! It's always Summer there! Right? 😀 Lucky you, it's crazy cold here now and very wet here now. Yuck. hrmmm emptied out watermelon is a great idea - but I am such a klutz I'd probably wobble it all over the place and spill it on myself haha! 😀
Makos says
I'm going to pretend I didn't read the last sentence of this post and I'll say that this is watermelon cocktail looks totally awesome!
Joyce says
pahahaha! It's true though!
Josie says
This is really an exquisite SOJU WATERMELON COCKTAIL drink. I like it . Firstly, presentation of this drink looks very colorful. Secondly, no alcohol is added. Easy to buy this seasonal water melon now. I make myself a bigger glass shot. Great !!