Green Grape Makgulli Recipe

Wash and stem

Rinse 150 g seedless green grapes under cold water, remove any stems and discard damaged berries.

Blend

Place the grapes and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice in a blender. Pulse until smooth to make a coarse purée (about 20–30 seconds). If you prefer a very smooth texture, blend an additional 10–15 seconds.

Strain (optional)

For a clearer drink, pour the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a spatula to extract juice and discard skins and seeds. You should have about 120–130 ml of purée/juice after straining. If you like a pulpy makgeolli, skip this step and use purée as-is.

Chill the makgeolli bottle and grapes beforehand so the final drink is cold. Open the 750 ml makgeolli and give it a gentle swirl — avoid vigorous shaking which can over-foam.

In a large chilled pitcher (or directly in individual serving glasses), combine the makgeolli (750 ml) with 150 ml green grape juice. Stir gently to incorporate.

Add the strained (or unstrained) grape purée from the previous section into the pitcher and fold gently until evenly distributed. Taste for sweetness and acidity.

If additional sweetness is needed, stir in up to 2 teaspoons simple syrup, one teaspoon at a time, tasting after each addition. If you prefer brighter, lighter bubbles, add up to 100 ml club soda and stir gently once.

Fill 4 chilled glasses with 1–2 ice cubes each (or more to preference). Pour the grape makgeolli mixture evenly among the glasses.

Garnish each glass with a halved green grape placed on the rim and a small sprig of mint gently slapped between your palms to release aroma then tucked into the drink.

Serve immediately. Encourage guests to stir briefly before drinking to re-suspend any settled grape solids.