When dusk sets in, trees light up and music fills the air at Central Park — a vibrant business district in West Jakarta. People of all ages are seen hanging out at shopping malls, bars and eateries.

At Mixology, one of the chic bars popular among youngsters, attendants are busy taking orders for dishes and drinks. Here, regular customers come for its specialty drink called soju. In its country of origin, Korea, soju is a distilled beverage consumed neat, with an alcohol content that varies anywhere between 17 and 53 percent.

In Jakarta, soju gets a somewhat odder twist. It is served in a bottle inside a metal ice bucket, light cream in color — which is the rather unusual result of the alcoholic drink being blended with the sweet-sour Yakult, a popular Japanese probiotic drink.

Geraldo Gracedo, 22, orders one bottle for himself and three friends. As soju buffs, they regard the drink as the perfect fit for their social gatherings.

“I can still have the strong alcohol taste,” Geraldo says. “But unlike vodka, which makes you wanna go dancing and all, soju-Yakult leaves only relaxing sensations during your moments with friends.”

In recent years, soju — the clear distilled spirit made from grain — has been featured in almost every bar and Korean-themed restaurant in Indonesia’s major cities like Jakarta.

Tasty sip: A bartender pours soju-Yakult into a glass. In Indonesia, many Korean-themed bars and restaurants offer soju variants. (JP/Arief Suhardiman)

Soju is an easy option for locals looking to enjoy a taste of Korea, a country they know well thanks to the K-pop craze. But if you look for soju in Indonesia, chances are you’ll find surprisingly sweet variants.

According to Akbar Sabarullah, a Mixology bartender, soju-Yakult is one of the best-selling mixes. On a typical weekend, he serves more than 20 of them a day.

“People usually order 1 liter of soju-Yakult for two persons to share and 2 liters for a bigger group.”

Mixology, which has two outlets in Jakarta, sells approximately 1,000 liters of soju each month.

Another bar that serves soju, Hugo Soju Bar & Eatery at Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta, needs to stock roughly 1,000 bottles each month to meet the demand, says bar supervisor Bayu Irawan.

Hugo bar, which lists soju-Yakult as its best-selling drink, offers an array of variants, such as lychee, strawberry, mango, and banana, among others. To get the fruit flavor, bartenders add fruit syrup into the mix.

“We’ve seen a significant growth in our soju sales, especially in the past year,” Bayu says.

National spirit: Soju, the best-selling liquor in the world, has enjoyed a surge in recognition in Indonesia thanks to the rise of the Korean popular culture wave in the country. (JP/Arief Suhardiman)

In the past 10 years, soju sales in Indonesia have constantly increased, according to marketing head of the Indonesian chapter of leading South Korean soju manufacturer Hite Jinro, Kim Myung-ha.

“I think soju entered Indonesia at the time Koreans started to come to Indonesia,” Kim says. “Koreans brought soju when they moved here. Then, they could buy it from importers. And later on, soju became popular among non-Koreans in Indonesia.”

In Indonesia, a 360 milliliter of bottled soju costs around Rp 140,000 (US$10.70). Better known brands include Jinro’s Chamisul and Lotte Liquor’s Chum Churum. Indonesia also has its own soju brand, Baram.

The sizable Korean community in Indonesia also contributes to the growing consumption of soju in the country.

Kim, who has lived in Indonesia for 24 years, says Koreans in Indonesia retain their Korean lifestyle, go to local bars and enjoy soju together.

“I like to have my soju neat,” he says. “In Korea, we always drink it neat or on the rocks.”

Long live friendship: Visitors to Mixology bar in Jakarta enjoy soju-Yakult, the most popular variant at the bar. (Courtesy of Mixology)

The Korean-themed dessert restaurant Patbingsoo in Alam Sutera, South Tangerang, Banten, serves original soju and its local variants, including soju-Yakult and a subak mocktail (Korean watermelon punch with soju).

“Koreans who come here mostly want their soju to be served neat,” says Patbingsoo’s supervisor Nana Purnawan.

Patbingsoo’s top-selling variant is soju-Yakult, and its main customers are young Indonesian adults.

Indonesia, which has been enjoying Korean pop culture since the early 2000s, has seen the popularity of soju rising, especially among young K-pop fans.

Imas Ristyastuti, 23, enjoys drinking soju-Yakult with her friends. Her interest in soju dates back to her high school days as a K-pop devotee. She noticed the liquor in Korean soap operas and variety shows she watched.

And just like many other Indonesians, it is the light taste of soju that attracts Imas, who favors the sweeter variants over the original one.

When hanging around with friends, Imas knows when to stop drinking. “I know what can happen from drinking too much because the soju alcohol content is higher than beer.”