Omija Mocktail (Korean Five-Flavor Berry Drink)
A deep crimson mocktail cold-steeped from dried omija berries -- the Korean five-flavor berry that moves through sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and savory in a single sip. Topped with sparkling water and lemon, it is the most visually striking and flavor-complex drink in the Korean mocktail collection.
Servings 2 glasses
Calories 35kcal
Cost $4
Equipment
- 1 Fine mesh strainer
- 1 Jar or pitcher for steeping
- 2 Stemmed glasses or tall glasses
Ingredients
For the Omija Concentrate
- 25 dried omija berries schisandra berries -- adjust quantity for deeper or lighter color
- 500 ml cold filtered water
Per Glass
- 120 ml strained omija concentrate cold
- 1 tsp honey light variety -- acacia or clover
- 1/2 lemon juice only -- about 1 tbsp
- 80 ml sparkling water plain, cold
- 1 ice cube just one -- very cold is better than fully iced
- 1 wedge lemon for garnish
Instructions
Cold-Steep the Omija
- Place 25 dried omija berries in a clean jar or pitcher. Pour 500ml of cold filtered water over them. Do not use warm or hot water -- cold steeping preserves the five-flavor complexity. Stir briefly to make sure all the berries are submerged.
- Cover the jar and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. The liquid will turn from pale pink to deep crimson as it steeps. Eight hours gives a lighter, more delicate result. Twelve hours gives an intense crimson color and more pronounced five-flavor complexity.
- Pour the steeped liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a clean jar, pressing the berries gently against the strainer to extract maximum liquid. Discard the spent berries. The strained concentrate keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Build Each Glass
- Add 1 teaspoon of honey to 120ml of omija concentrate in a glass. Stir until fully dissolved.
- Squeeze half a lemon into the glass. Add one ice cube -- keeping the drink only lightly chilled lets more of the five-flavor progression through than a fully iced drink.
- Pour 80ml of cold sparkling water gently into the glass. Stir once very lightly.
- Add a lemon wedge garnish. Serve immediately. Pay attention to the flavor as you drink -- the sour note comes first, sweetness follows, then a faint bitter and savory finish that arrives well after you have swallowed.
Notes
Cold steep only -- hot water extracts mostly sour and bitter compounds and flattens the five-flavor character significantly.
Start with light honey -- strongly flavored honey (buckwheat, chestnut) competes with the omija's own complexity.
A single ice cube rather than a full glass of ice lets more of the subtle flavor notes through. Very cold temperatures suppress the savory and sweet notes.
The concentrate keeps for up to 3 days refrigerated. Prepare a full batch and use throughout the week.
