A cocktail is a mixed drink made with a distilled beverage such as gin, brandy, vodka, whiskey, tequila, or rum; that is mixed with other ingredients. If beer is one of the ingredients, the drink is called a beer cocktail. Cocktails, which began to be popular in 1930’s contain one or more types of liqueur, juice, fruit, sauce, honey, milk or cream, spices, or other flavorings and it may vary in ingredients from bartender to bartender, and from region to region.

Cocktails are one of the best ways for relaxation after a hard day’s work or while traveling but do you know how strong your favorite cocktail drink is and where or how they were discovered or created? Here is a list of some of the best and most popular so that you may know your cocktails while traveling.

The Caesar

The Caesar was invented in 1969 by restaurant manager Walter Chell of the Calgary Inn in Alberta, Canada. It typically contains vodka, a Caesar mix (a blend of tomato juice and clam broth), hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. It is typically served with ice in a large, celery salt-rimmed glass, garnished with a stalk of celery and wedge of lime. A Caesar made from an 80-proof vodka only contains around 8% alcohol by volume.

Mojito

Mojito’s history dates back to the, 16th century. This traditional Cuban highball is a cocktail that consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, soda water, and mint. The original Cuban recipe uses spearmint or yerba buena, a mint variety very popular on the island. This popular summer drink has relatively low alcohol content, about 10% alcohol by volume.

Piña Colada

The Piña Colada has been Puerto Rico’s national drink since 1978. Literally “strained pineapple” it is a sweet cocktail made with rum, coconut cream or coconut milk, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with a pineapple wedge, maraschino cherry, or both. It usually has around 13% alcohol by volume.

Bellini

Bellini is a popular Italian wine cocktail which was invented sometime between 1934 and 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice. It is a mixture of Prosecco sparkling wine and peach purée or nectar.  It contains around 6% alcohol by volume.

Caipirinha

Origin of Caipirinha was said to have begun in 1918. It is Brazil’s national cocktail, made with cachaça (sugarcane hard liquor), sugar and lime. Cachaça, also known as pinga, caninha, or any one of a multitude of traditional names, is Brazil’s most common distilled alcoholic beverage. Caipirinha is 4.7% alcohol by volume.

So there you have it, knowledge on cocktails while traveling or for your next drinking sesh!

21st century is undeniably the period of “Korean Wave.” Through the use of internet and the social media, the Korean culture has developed into a global phenomenon.  The South Korean culture has really increased global popularity over the past 10 years  – from the k-dramas, to k-pop and Korean fashion and now, Korean food. Most of us love the popular Korean food so much that even though we find it always hard to pronounce the names, we keep coming back because of the unique blends of spices and flavors of the Korean food.

We compiled here 10 of the most popular Korean dishes you must try:

Kimchi

Kimchi, one of the oldest Korean dishes and probably the most essential dish in Korean cuisine, can be considered as the most popular among Korean dishes, around the world. It is a traditional spicy and sour side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables, most commonly napa cabbage and Korean radish.

Bibimbap

Bibimbap literally mean mixed rice. Usually it is a bowl of mixed ingredients including rice, namul (seasoned and sautéed vegetables), mushrooms, beef, soy sauce, gochujang (chili pepper paste), added with a fried or raw egg and sliced meat usually beef.

Bulgogi

Bulgogi, literally “fire meat,” is a juicy, savory dish of grilled marinated pork or beef. To add flavor to the meat, it is often grilled with garlic and sliced onions. The meat is usually wrapped in lettuce and it is also traditionally eaten with a thick, red spicy paste, called ssamjang.

Galbi

Galbi is a Korean word which means “rib.”  It is a dish of thick slabs of meat marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, chopped garlic, and sugar and cooked over a tabletop grill. Galbi is usually made with beef shortribs but pork spareribs and other meats can also be used.

Gimbap

Gimbap is a Korean dish made from cooked rice and other ingredients such as sauteed vegetables, ground beef, and sweet pickled radish that are rolled in gim, an edible seaweed; served in bite size slices .

Japchae

Japchae is a traditional Korean dish made from sweet potato noodles stir fried with thinly shredded vegetables, beef, and a hint of soy sauce and sugar. Often served as a side dish during lunch or dinner, it is known for its sweet and flavorful taste and its soft yet slightly chewy texture.

Samgyeopsal

Samgyeopsal consists of grilled thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat that are not marinated nor seasoned. It is commonly served with a dipping sauce called ssamjang and is wrapped in lettuce along with grilled slices of garlic, grilled slices of onion, shredded green onions, and kimchi.

Soondubu jiggae

Soondubu jiggae is a Korean soft tofu stew. This dish which is thicker than a soup but thinner than a porridge, is made with freshly curdled soft tofu, vegetables, sometimes mushrooms, onion, optional seafood (such as oysters, mussels, clams and shrimp), optional meat (commonly beef or pork), and gochujang (chili paste) or gochu garu (chili powder).

Haemul-pajeon

Haemul-pajeon is a savory Korean pancake. It is made with green onions, egg batter, wheat flour, rice flour and seafood, commonly oysters, shrimp, squid and clams. It is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and it is best paired with Korean beverages like the Soju or Rice-infused beers.

Bingsu

Bingsu is a delectable Korean summer dessert. It is made of sweetened red beans (pat) and tteok served on a bed of shaved ice (bingsu). Condensed milk, misutgaru, syrup, ice cream, and corn flakes may also be added. There are the variations on the bingsu, where the pat is replaced by ice cream or fruit.

How may of these have you already tried and what else would you love to try?