Any hour is happy hour with these Jinro-infused Sun-Fizzed Sips. Choose from four fruity flavors and get a good buzz from these beat-the-weather sippers
Fruits have long been a beloved staple in the world of mixology. The tried-and-true template has become a canvas for bartenders to craft their own different flavor profiles. These fruity drinks have emerged as a reliably refreshing summer stalwart, and are a perfect addition to any warm weekend afternoon.
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But beyond the warm months, these drinks still work—they’ve wedged themselves into the canon of modern go-to order classics. Case in point: But First, Coffee’s Sun-Fizzed Sips, launched in April to usher in the summer season. These non-alcoholic summer spritzes were refreshing libations to the local summer product line-up, but were a limited-time offer.
However, whatever the season, But First, Coffee has the liquid answer. This August, the Sun-Fizzed Sips are back as new iterations, set to become a perennial favorite with their latest collaboration with HITEJINRO, Korea’s No. 1 soju brand—one that revolutionized Korea’s hard-drinking culture.
The Signature Green Bottle
For over nine decades, JINRO has become the leading source of one of the most popular choices of alcohol in the world—soju. Once the Jinro bottles come out in a Korean drama scene, you know you’re going to love it.
Authentic and accomplished in its soju craftsmanship, liquor connoisseurs have dubbed JINRO’s soju the “Best Spirit,” due to its easy-to-drink nature. The signature green bottle has become so ubiquitous that even non-K-Pop or K-Drama fans know what it is—the drink staple in its iconic green is now common beyond Korea that it gives your good old local gin or beer a run for their money.
Since the 1980s, JINRO has expanded its market penetration to the Philippines; and it’s not unusual to see Filipinos drinking soju. The company’s eight varieties, ranging from original to fruit-flavored, give Filipinos the most flavorful Korean drinking experience possible.
The New Summer Drink Formulas
However, even as the leading soju brand, JINRO is continuously innovating. Filipinos often only bring out the green bottles at a samgyupsal joint or when there’s Korean food on the table, so their latest pursuit? Breaking out of that mold and marrying soju with something else: But First, Coffee’s Sun-Fizzed Sips. In an effort to further connect with flavors familiar to the Filipino’s taste buds, the two enterprises have concocted new formulas: soju-infused, fruity cocktail drinks.
The But First, Coffee and JINRO collaboration
“By partnering with the Philippines’ popular coffee chain, But First, Coffee, we’re tapping into a market that has not quite yet been exposed to soju,” Dong Kyun Kook, Company President of HITEJINRO, tells MEGA. “So, we combined our soju products with tropical fruits and juices that go hand in hand to further enhance their flavor. With this new line of cocktail drinks, we hope to further the dictum that JINRO’s soju can be a perfect complement to any summer drink.”
Its lineup promises a way of transporting consumers to tropical paradises and summer days—no matter the season. Benjamin III L. Belarmino, But First, Coffee’s Training and R&D Supervisor, pushed the boundaries of what’s possible with flavorful, alcoholic elixirs. “Prior to the R&D, I thought of playing safe and going with the usual and familiar fruity flavors: pineapple, mango, and apple,” Benjamin shares with MEGA. “But then I said, people want something adventurous, something daring, something out of the box. So why not take the risk and create something unexpected, to pioneer these flavors—harmonized with soju?”
Benjamin also reveals that he meticulously chose what JINRO flavor would harmonize with the juice so that it’s not harsh on the palate—and the marrying of the flavors produce a vibrant, tasteful result. Each drink has an amount of 60mL (approximately two shots) of JINRO soju—but it gives you just the right amount of buzz. “There’s a common misconception that soju is a hard drink as portrayed in Korean entertainment,” Dong Kyun Kook continues. “This collaboration debunks that and makes for a friendly soju experience,”
With JINRO and But First, Coffee’s collaboration, expect refreshing, fruity, and livelier drinks that aren’t just about booze—but fun, flavor, and flair.
The fruit-forward flavors hit all the high notes; the creative impetus behind them is precision, accuracy, each ingredient measured down to the drop, dash, and once. A culinary endeavor on its own, mixing drinks requires an additional level of care to shine a spotlight on their ingredients, but still rock a well-balanced, nuanced flavor profile. That said, research and development took the time to understand each Soju variety and Sun-Fizzed Sips’ tastes—with a harmony of flavors that pleases the palate, plus gorgeous to look at. It never hurts when your drink makes a pretty picture, after all!
Sour Grapes Candy
Tamarind, or sampaloc, is a key ingredient in the Filipino favorite sinigang, but also a beloved fruit ripe with nostalgia. Back then, Gen Zs would get their candy fix from Frutos, Filipinos’ answer to Fruitella. Launched in the late 80s, the colorful packaging came with tropical flavors such as mango, tamarind, lychee, and ponkan. Other classic sweet flavors included grape, lemon, orange, and strawberry, but tamarind was a local favorite.
But First, Coffee and JINRO’s take on the nostalgic fruit is Sour Candy, a drink that spotlights the tangy taste of the fruit infused with JINRO Soju green grapes flavor. It’s a can-barely-taste-the-alcohol drink but will certainly give you a buzz. Tamarinds are an unlikely bedfellow when put together in a shaker or a blender, but the soju’s green grapes flavor makes the drink equal parts piquant, unexpected yet pleasing, and refreshing.
Peachy Summer Breeze
The Summer Breeze drink’s star ingredient, the pink guava, locally known as bayabas, is another Filipino-cherished fruit and flavor—also used as a souring agent for sinigang because its tinge of sweetness makes the dish sing. Applied to a drink, sans and with alcohol, this sweet-tart drink tastes like a staycation in your mouth—so much so that it demands another sip. “Pink guava is bright, refreshing, and sweeter than green guava; thus the drink synonymous to a lazy afternoon on the beach,” Benjamin describes.
It’s a refreshing burst of tropical sweetness, perfectly mixed with the zestiness of lemon and honey, and JINRO peach’s juicy taste with a slightly tangy kick. Plus, who doesn’t love a pink drink?
Plum Berries Go Wild
Intensely juicy and citrus-forward, the precise makeup of this drink includes a sweet-tart blast of mulberries and strawberries, infused with JINRO’s plum-flavored soju. While the taste of the alcohol is more potent, the plum brings an inherent tannic quality to the mix. The clarity of its flavors and the plum flavor adds a deeply satisfying and savory edge to this cocktail. For those who want something punchy, this sangria-type sipper is the way to go.
Very Berry More
This new format uses the easy-drinking nature of strawberries to introduce a bold flavor that sits on your tongue and glides down your throat—thanks to the strawberry-flavored soju. The fusion of mixed berries adds berry freshness to the slightly bitter tipple, but the custom blend is flavor-filled and a balanced, not-too-sweet tropical profile you can enjoy all-season-round.
This new line of soju-infused cocktail drinks is available at But First, Coffee, Avida Cityflex, BGC starting August, and will be available at Bacolod starting September 1, 2024.
Photos and Featured Image: BUT FIRST, COFFEE
