Best eats of 2024: Best alcoholic drink – Tiger Soju

SINGAPORE – Local beer brand Tiger Beer launched Tiger Soju – which mixes beer and soju, a grain-distilled spirit from South Korea, in a handy ready-to-drink can – in 2023.

But it was during 2024’s many heatwaves that Tiger Soju solidified itself as a favourite go-to beverage for casual drinking, especially after the newest flavour, mango, entered the fray. 

The original launch flavours – plum and grape – made sense for a canned somaek, the name in South Korea for the mixed drink of soju and beer. Maesil-ju, plum wine, is one of the most common varieties of fruit wine in the country, while green grape is one of the most popular soju flavours.

But the new Mighty Mango feels like a fully realised version of Tiger Soju – the alcoholic beverage version of a Pokemon evolving into its final form of a drink, if you will – as a drink that makes sense for a Singapore brand in the Singapore market. 

The tropical sweetness of the mango is a natural bedfellow to the bitter and acidic sourness of the beer, while the soju brings a clean crispness that makes all the difference in the mouthfeel and texture of the drink. 

It also makes the affordability and lower-proof quality of beer accessible to people who do not like the beverage, with a price point of $12.90 for a three-can pack and an alcohol-by-volume level of 5.5 per cent. 

In some ways, it is something like a fruity, bitter soda that will give you a light buzz. Which is maybe why it has become the newest favourite beverage, not just for casual home gatherings and barbecues, but also at events’ concession stands. 

Sipping from a plastic cup of Tiger Soju in between screaming your lungs out during one of the many pop concerts at the National Stadium or Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2024? Core memory unlocked.