Soju Vs Vodka - What is the difference?

There comes a time in anyone’s life when you learn the value of certain types of alcohol for certain reasons. Whether you’re adding a little wine to your chicken sauce or baking a cake with a little rum mixed in, it’s worth understanding the different spirits available and how to use them.

The spirits can be used to mix drinks or to prepare delicious meals, appetizers and desserts right in the kitchen. You just have to know what to use and when. You can’t always substitute it when a recipe (drink or food) calls for a specific option, as it could drastically change the end result.

One of those comparisons is soju and vodka. How do soju and vodka compare and what are their differences? Soju has an alcohol content of 24%, while vodka usually contains 40% alcohol or more. Both soju and vodka are distilled spirits. Soju tastes like vodka, but sweeter, making soju a good substitute for vodka.

In this guide, we’ll take an in-depth look at soju and vodka. We will cover the concepts of each and how they are used, as well as discover how they compare and their main differences. We have a lot of ground to cover.

Read on to see where these topics end up in a soju vs. the vodka.

Soju vs. Vodka - Understanding the differences

Surely not all of us understand all the liqueurs out there and how they stack up against each other. We know the basics of popular options like rum, whiskey, tequila, vodka, wine, and beer, but the truth is, there’s so much more.

Soju and vodka are often considered interchangeable. They are very similar in many ways, but they are also very different.

If you need a good substitute for soju or vodka , you can use one instead of the other, but there are a few things to keep in mind when you do so.

As we progress through this guide, we’ll cover both soju and vodka on an individual level. Once we’ve covered them separately, we’ll put them back together and give you a quick overview so you can easily understand and spot the differences.

Let’s get started, okay?

What is soju?

Soju is of Korean origin. It could be considered as the Korean version of vodka. However, the most notable difference is that soju only typically has an alcohol content of around 24%. 

This places soju above beers and wines, but also well below vodka. One of the advantages of the lower alcohol content is that some venues that have permits to offer only “beer and wine” may also offer drinks that may contain vodka. These drinks include things like cosmos, martinis, and mojitos.

Soju is a convenient alternative to higher-proof spirits and offers limited-licensed venues an easy solution when they are unable to use higher-proof liquor options.

One of the reasons the alcohol content is so much lower is because the Koreans made it that way to accommodate the license limitation.

Soju is clear and colorless . This distilled liquor was originally made from rice, wheat, and barley, but is now often made from potatoes or sweet potatoes.

how to drink soju

Soju is usually drunk in a one-ounce glass and served “neat” without ice. 

Another use for soju is to make variations of mixed drinks that often use vodka instead.

Here are some other cool ways to drink soju:

• Mix into a drink with soju, cider, and beer.
• Infusing a watermelon with soju for a light flavor and alcohol level
• Make a cleaner out of it. Works well to clean grease, chalkboards, and windows
• Use it in various cooking recipes.
• Mix it with juice or yogurt to fall asleep

In addition to these household and beverage uses, you can also cook with soju. There are several Korean recipes that use soju in their meals, but you can substitute vodka for soju in other recipes as well. Here are some ideas for cooking with soju: 

• Soju Pork Chops
• pineapple upside down cake
• cheeseburger cake
• dumplings
• peach cobbler
• various sauces
• stews

Here are some simple ideas for a touch of Soju that will give your dishes a whole new flavor.

What is vodka?

Vodka is a well-known liquor. It is used all over the world to make cocktails and mix it with juices or soft drinks. This liquor requires a liquor license in order to serve or sell it.

The alcohol content of almost all vodkas available is 40% , although there are also some high-proof options that go further.

Vodka is a distilled spirit that was originally made in Poland and Russia. It is made with water and ethanol, but there may be impurities or additional flavors added to the vodka.

Now, you can find just about any vodka flavor you want, including pickle, cake, grape, berry, and others.

Vodka is made from fermented grains that are distilled to form the liquor. Like Soju, many varieties of vodka are now also made with potatoes.

Some brands even use sugar or fruit as well. To be labeled as vodka, the compound must contain an alcohol content of at least 37.5%, and the standard is 40%.

common uses of vodka

The most common use of vodka is to mix drinks or as a sip drink. Here are some of the most common drinks made with vodka:

• cosmopolitan
• bloody mary
• Martini (any flavor)
• black russian
• vodka tonic
• Moscow mule
• Screwdriver
• vodka with cranberries
• madras

These are just some of the more common vodka drinks, but there are many more. You can also use vodka in cooking, just like soju and other types of liquor. Here are a few common vodka recipes:

• pasta sauces
• Pasta bolognese
• Penne with vodka
• bruschetta
• Lemon chicken
• baked beans
• spicy fruits
• Chocolate sauce with vodka.

Again, let us tell you that your options can be limitless. There are tons of recipes for pasta sauces, meat dishes, drinks and much more that use vodka. There are also several alternative uses for vodka that can be quite useful:

• treat toothache
• fight dandruff
• Use it as a mouthwash
• homemade ice packs
• Insect repellent
• After shave
• Fights the bad smell of the armpits and feet
• Disinfectant
• Clean the windows
• Disinfect carpets and mattresses

Vodka’s high alcohol content makes it a good disinfectant or antiseptic.  Although soju can be used for some of these reasons, it may not be as effective since its alcohol content is much lower. It may take more or it may not work at all.

Vodka is unique in its own way, although vodka and soju could easily compete on their similarities.

A comparative review of soju and vodka

Soju and vodka can be used interchangeably in many ways. Soju is a popular substitute for vodka in places that want the usual attributes or uses of vodka, but do not have the proper license to use the liquor.

The main difference between soju and vodka is the alcohol content.  Soju has a reduced content level of only 24%, while vodka has a content level of 40% or higher.  When it comes to using one for antiseptic or sterilizing purposes, vodka is the best option, but soju can be used for many of those things as well.

You can use both in the drink mix, in the kitchen and in the drink, but remember which one has a higher level. Otherwise, you may never notice the difference.

Related questions

We hope you find this guide to differentiating between soju and vodka a valuable resource. Although the two are very similar, they are not the same and it is important to understand how this can affect you.

We invite you to review the following question and answer section for additional information that might be helpful.

Is soju considered healthy?

Remember that soju is a liquor, only with a reduced alcohol content. With that, you can have any potential health risks that vodka might have.

However, it has been observed that drinking a small amount of soju on a regular basis can protect both men and women from the risk of heart attack.

Can you mix soju and vodka?

You can mix soju and vodka together, as the spirits are mixed quite often in different cocktail recipes. However, mixing them is mostly unnecessary and not done very often.