Makgeolli, not wine: Ministers to toast with traditional South Korean drink at Apec banquet
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Selected for the official banquet of the Apec 2025 ministerial meeting, A Night Counting Stars In The Milky Way is a premium makgeolli brewed by Bal-Hyo Gongbang 1991.
PHOTO: BAL-HYO GONGBANG 1991
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SEOUL – When ministers from across the Asia-Pacific gather for dinner in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province this week, their glasses will be filled not with champagne or wine, but with makgeolli, Korea’s signature fermented rice drink.
The drink to be served at the official banquet of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Joint Ministerial Meeting on Foreign and Trade Affairs (AMM) on Oct 29 and Oct 30 is A Night Counting Stars In The Milky Way, a 12 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV) premium makgeolli brewed by Bal-Hyo Gongbang 1991, the makgeolli-focused subsidiary of Korean fried chicken giant Kyochon F&B.
Not made exclusively for Apec, this particular makgeolli has already earned recognition for its craftsmanship. In August, it won the grand prize in the 12 per cent ABV category for high-alcohol unfiltered makgeolli at the 2025 Korea Traditional Liquor Awards, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The AMM, co-chaired by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and top trade envoy Yeo Han-koo, serves as the final ministerial forum ahead of the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting. Alongside talks on digital trade and regional cooperation, South Korea uses the banquet to introduce parts of its culinary tradition.
A Night Counting Stars In The Milky Way is no ordinary makgeolli. The drink is a modern interpretation of “gamhyangju”, a delicately aromatic fermented alcohol described in Umsik Timibang, Korea’s oldest known culinary text, written in the 17th century by scholar Chang Kye-hyang.
This is not the thick, rustic makgeolli served in plastic bottles at neighborhood pubs. Bal-Hyo Gongbang 1991 brews it with rice grown in Yeongyang County and ferments it over a minimum of 15 days using house-cultured nuruk, a traditional fermentation starter.
The result is a makgeolli that balances body and clarity, sweetness and floral aroma, more polished than the everyday versions found in casual Korean eateries, yet unmistakably traditional.
It is also available to the public.
As part of its AMM sponsorship, Kyochon F&B also operated a K-food station near the Apec International Media Centre, offering tastings of its brush-glazed chicken to foreign guests and reporters.
“We’re honoured that both Kyochon chicken and Bal-Hyo Gongbang 1991’s makgeolli were introduced on the global Apec stage,” a Kyochon spokesperson said.
“Through these two brands, one rooted in innovation, the other in tradition, we wanted to show the depth of Korean food culture.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
