[Corvettaholic]

Hi guys, I know I haven't been around much lately. Just got promoted at work and I'm FREAKISHLY busy, and after work (every day!) I hit up happy hour. Now, the other day I discovered some left-over soju in my fridge from when I was in Korea. I love soju, and soju loves me.

1) Where can I buy it? I can't find it anywhere!!!

2) Since I can't recreate it myself, how good does ethanol + water taste?

[mike]

Have you tried looking for sake, or rice wine (this is what we call it over here).

Ethanol and water? Haven't tried it but sure it won't taste as nice as "real" liquor. It won't have any of the flavours from the fermentation (I would have thought). Someone else could correct me as I have not made spirits (I do brew my own beer though, mmmm beer )

[billnotgatez]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everclear_%28alcohol%29

[jdurg]

Pure ethanol and water pretty much just tastes like burning depending on the amount of ethanol you use.  Ethanol itself has a VERY sweet smell to it, but the burning sensation when it's in your mouth kind of overpowers everything else.  A dilute solution of ethanol and water tastes just like vodka.  This is because vodka really has no flavors to it.  If your vodka does have a taste to go with it, then it's probably not a very good vodka.    (Good vodkas like Grey Goose have almost no flavor at all.  The point of a good vodka is to provide some 'kick' to a drink without overpowering it).

[Borek]

Pure ethanol and water pretty much just tastes like burning depending on the amount of ethanol you use. (...) If your vodka does have a taste to go with it, then it's probably not a very good vodka.

Keep it in a freezer before serving. First, bottle gets covered with a beautifull frost once put on the table. Then it pours like an oil and goes like a silk And you have to finish the bottle before the frost melts and leaves stains on the tableclothing

[GCT]

Hi guys, I know I haven't been around much lately. Just got promoted at work and I'm FREAKISHLY busy, and after work (every day!) I hit up happy hour. Now, the other day I discovered some left-over soju in my fridge from when I was in Korea. I love soju, and soju loves me.

1) Where can I buy it? I can't find it anywhere!!!

2) Since I can't recreate it myself, how good does ethanol + water taste?

well I live in the atlanta georgia area and it turns out the koreans are swarmin over here by the thousands, taking over the economy in the process.  They've built several malls some of them including a supermarket, some more refined then others.  It's an attraction really, because inside of such places, you can find restaurants, and all kinds of foreign produce/merchandises.  I can pretty much guarantee that you'll find soju there, or if not ask your local liquor shop to order some; koreans love soju, soju loves koreans, like vodka to the russians.

[Corvettaholic]

I'm going to have to find a local Korean market here then, which aren't many in the middle of the desert. Right after I find a quick cure for strep throat that doesn't involve booze. Which works... but... yeah. Don't ever try it.

[Garneck]

Keep it in a freezer before serving. First, bottle gets covered with a beautifull frost once put on the table. Then it pours like an oil and goes like a silk And you have to finish the bottle before the frost melts and leaves stains on the tableclothing

I can't agree more  

[constant thinker]

Isn't Vodka just ethanol and water? Isn't also illegal to distil any hard liquer.

Kind of a smelly operation if you ask me. Also pure ethanol isn't the greatest rocket fuel. I need to learn how to make solid rocket fuel one day.

[billnotgatez]

In the USA, a family is allowed to make beer and wine, but there is a gallon per year limit. I assume a family means that an adult does the brewing and cannot be done for commercial gain. I do not know rules about distilling.

[billnotgatez]

I wonder how many chemist die of ethanol poisoning?

[mike]

but there is a gallon per year limit

Is this for real, a gallon of beer per year? Doesn't sound like much

I usually brew about 30 litres at a time (~8 gallons), sweet, sweet beer

[billnotgatez]

a "gallon limit" per year

gallons / year

I tipe bad and speel wors and my gammar passed on years ago

[mike]

I tipe bad and speel wors and my gammar passed on years ago

That's ok coz I don't read so good neither

[constant thinker]

A lot of people break that gallon per year limit for brewing. Also a lot of people ignore the 21 to drink limit (U.S. only as far as I'm aware of).