Korean · drink

Sujeonggwa (Cinnamon and Ginger Punch with Dried Persimmon)

Sujeonggwa (Cinnamon and Ginger Punch with Dried Persimmon) reads sweetness 8.4, floral 4.5 and nutty 4.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Korean drink, about 6 hr 27 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 8.4 · Floral 4.5 · Nutty 4.1 · Salinity 3.7 · Warm Spice 3.6 · Allium 3.5 · Fruity 3.3 · Richness 3.2 · Umami 2.8 · Earthy 1.1 · Bitterness 1.0 · Herbaceous 0.7

What's in it (9)

Time & effort: about 6 hr 27 min (1 hr 57 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 31.4 kcal, 0.2 g protein, 0.5 g fat, 7.3 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

  1. Rinse the cinnamon bark quickly and simmer it in the 1.5 L of water, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to about 1 litre and is a deep reddish brown. Use bark, not ground cinnamon: this drink is an infusion and any powder makes it cloudy and gritty.
  2. In a second pan, simmer the ginger in the 1 L of water for the same 40 to 50 minutes, until reduced to about 700 ml. The two are cooked separately and combined afterwards, which is the traditional method and not fussiness: boiled together, the cinnamon dominates completely and the ginger reads only as heat.
  3. Strain both liquids through a fine sieve and combine them in a clean pan. Taste, and correct the balance to your liking; a good sujeonggwa is roughly two parts cinnamon to one part ginger, sweet in front and hot at the back of the throat.
  4. Add the brown sugar and salt and simmer 10 minutes, stirring until dissolved, then take off the heat and stir in the honey. Cool completely.
  5. Soften the dried persimmons in a little of the warm punch for 30 minutes, then either leave them whole or slice them. Chill the punch at least 4 hours, and the persimmons with it.
  6. Serve very cold in small bowls with a piece of persimmon in each and two or three pine nuts floated on top, points down. Sujeonggwa is the drink at the end of a heavy meal, especially after grilled meat, and it belongs to the winter and to the days after the lunar New Year.
  7. Substitutions: 6 cassia sticks can stand in for the gyepi; 150 g Korean brown sugar can stand in for the dark brown sugar.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.