Mak·Sa Not, Mak·Kol!

Makgeolli X Cola, What Does It Really Taste Like?

Makgeolli mixed with cider, known as Mak·Sa, is a popular menu item that never fails to appear on bar menus. Its sweet and light taste makes it easy for anyone to enjoy without burden. Recently, a premixed drink called 'Maksa' has been released so that you don't have to mix makgeolli and cider yourself. Koreans who are more sincere about Mak·Sa than anyone else...

But one day, while drinking makgeolli, a sudden thought came to mind. ‘Why is there Mak·Sa, but no Mak·Cola?’, ‘Why does no one mix makgeolli with cola?’

For those of you who have been curious about the taste of Mak·Cola (but somehow hesitant to try it), the DrinKit editors made Mak·Cola for you. So, how did it taste?

Ingredients

We prepared makgeolli, cider, and cola. For makgeolli, we chose Jangsu Makgeolli, which has a clean aftertaste. Wanting to drink as lightly as possible, we selected zero sugar versions of both cider and cola.

Mak·Sa

Before making Mak·Cola, we first made Mak·Sa for a taste comparison. The recipe is simple: just mix makgeolli and cider in a 2:1 ratio!

The familiar taste we know. You can feel the sweet and sour flavor and the soft carbonation. Even though it was made with zero sugar cider, it was sweet enough and refreshing enough for those sensitive to alcohol to enjoy. After finishing it, the mouth did not feel sticky. Paired with spicy snacks like cartilage, it’s a combination with a magical charm that makes you want to keep drinking endlessly.

One-line review A familiar taste that makes you nod as soon as you drink it!

Editor rating ★★★★★

Mak·Cola

Now it’s time to make today’s main character, Mak·Cola. Using the same recipe as Mak·Sa, we mixed makgeolli and cola in a 2:1 ratio. Mixing cola with the milky makgeolli made the color very murky.

Before tasting, we smelled it first. For some reason, a cinnamon scent wafted up. Hesitating at the suspicious color, we took a sip, and it was much more refreshing than expected. It felt like a cola-flavored drink mixed with a spoonful of sour yogurt. The carbonation was stronger and gave a cool, refreshing sensation compared to drinking zero cola alone. However, while Mak·Sa had a subtle makgeolli flavor, Mak·Cola’s taste was dominated more by cola than makgeolli. It wasn’t tasteless because it was sweet like a soft drink, but it was disappointing that the presence of makgeolli was barely noticeable.

One-line review If you’re thinking of mixing makgeolli with cola... remember to adjust the ratio to 3:2 instead of 2:1.

Editor rating ★★★★☆

Try Mak·Cola this weekend?

Photo by Kim Bomi, Yoon Eunae