You can get a mojito, a cosmo and even assorted martinis at Vine, a new fondue restaurant and nightspot in Hollywood. That wouldn't be unusual at most bars in town, but Vine has only a beer and wine permit.
It's not breaking any laws, so what's in the cocktails? Soju, a Korean variation on vodka traditionally made from rice but more commonly from sweet potatoes these days. With 24% alcohol, soju is stronger than beer (4% to 5%) or wine (about 13%) but packs a weaker punch than virtually all vodkas, which are 40% alcohol.
A part of traditional Korean cuisine, soju is often enjoyed with meals, but because many Korean mom and pop restaurants had only beer and wine licenses, they were unable to sell it. (A new "general" or distilled spirits license costs $12,000 or more, according to Dave Gill, a district administrator for the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and a beer and wine license runs only $548 and often faces far less opposition from neighbors.)
After some lobbying by the Korean Restaurant Owners Assn., a bill by Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) passed in 1998, allowing the sale of soju by establishments previously licensed to sell only beer and wine in California. "Soju is served as a traditional drink accompanying spicy Korean meals and used to enhance the meal's flavor," reads the analysis of the bill.
At first, few bar owners outside the Asian community were aware of the bill, so sales of soju were limited to Korean and a few Japanese places. (The Japanese version, shochu, is almost identical and also can now be poured legally by establishments with beer and wine licenses.) But sales of soju shot up immediately, says Alex Kim, marketing manager for Jinro America Inc., the largest manufacturer of soju. "We saw a 35% to 40% increase in the first year since the law passed."
And he thinks that's only the beginning, once the traditional Korean beverage finds new drinkers. "Soju is enormous outside of the United States: Jinro sold 55 million cases around the world in 2001. We haven't aggressively marketed it to the mainstream, but we have a plan to do that in 2003," Kim says. The company will start where so many national trends are born: in Southern California.
David Reiss, proprietor of Sugar in Santa Monica, believes his was the first non-Asian establishment in Los Angeles to take advantage of the law. He inherited a beer and wine license when he took over the club about four years ago but was unable to upgrade to a full liquor license. He assumed that meant serving only beer, wine, champagne and sake.
