Minhwa Spirits

Minhwa Spirits Feels Like Your Cool Friend’s House | Eater Atlanta

"A soju distillery tucked in a Doraville strip mall that doubles as a multiuse hangout — Postern Coffee by day, chef residencies in the kitchen, and a cocktail bar at night — run by founders Ming Han Chung and James Kim. The space has two distinct modes: a daytime chill where floor-to-ceiling windows flood the room with light, people work on laptops over a coconut ube latte ($7), and an outdoor patio fronts a stunning mural titled "Morning Calm" by artist Kimchi Juice depicting a Korean woman wading through mountains and peach trees; and an electric Saturday-night energy with lines out the door, kinetic art on the walls, attentive friendly service, and free parking. Chef Lino Yi (formerly TKO at Southern Feed and Lazy Betty) offers Korean comfort bar food: the cheesy kimchi fried rice ($12), japchae ($15) with sweet potato starch noodles and mushrooms, and the volcano hot dog ($6) piled with spicy krab, sriracha, eel sauce, and scallions — described as delicious barfare though the menu could use a brighter acid element such as pickles or a salad. Pastry chef Molly Follet (Little Bear, Ticonderoga Club) makes a fluffy butter cheesecake ($10) with peach ginger jam that pairs well with Postern’s Ethiopian cortado. Current brunch and pop-up intel: a spam and egg souffle gilgeori toast ($10) with cabbage, carrot, and spicy mayo; upcoming black sesame chicken and waffles with spicy miso maple caramel; frequent food pop-ups including Jay Patel’s Indian-fusion barbecue and Dhaba BBQ wings. On the spirits side, the distillery produces a light, earthy Yong soju and a house gin made in partnership with local tea company the Chai Box using Indian chai spices. Award-winning mixologist James Sung (formerly Umi, Palo Santo) uses fat-wash and clarification techniques and Korean ingredients to create floral, fresh, velvety-textured cocktails; in Mom’s Backyard Garden ($16) he uses his mother’s perilla as a garnish in a drink of soju, gin, and cucumber-and-lime cordial — “Perilla leaves are commonly used in Korean cooking and have an herbaceous and peppery flavor.” Another signature, Beaches Down in Georgia ($16), is served with a cat face–shaped sour digestif gummy made from an extract from the Japanese raisin tree (hovenia dulcis thunb); "I couldn't tell you if it works, but I can surely tell you the cocktail is a sweet and sour beauty with tongue-popping acidity." Most cocktails right now emphasize clarification and fat-washing for a milky texture and linearity and tend toward sweetness, though future iterations may lean more on spice, salt, and umami. Insider drink tip: order the makgeolli service (cloudy Korean rice wine, $22) poured from a traditional gold aluminum kettle into golden cups and pair it with the KFC-style chicken nuggets — the slight effervescence cuts through the fried snack — and consider buying bottles of soju and gin to take home. The team is described as striking a balance between accessibility and finesse while cultivating a creative, collaborative vibe; “All are welcome, no invite needed.” The writer concludes, “This is my kind of house party.”" - Henna Bakshi