These days we've all been watching and binge-watching Korean dramas and listening to K-Pop. And we can all agree that we can't get enough of their delectable snacks, drinks, and dinners.
'Hwachae' is one of the drinks from Korea that we got hooked on. It translates to "fruit punch." It's a classic drink created with fresh and frozen fruits, as well as edible flowers on the petals. It's a vibrant drink that appears so appealing that you'd ponder about it long after you’ve seen it. You won't be able to stop yourself from sharing its images on social media.
Before adding the flowers to the drink, they are usually soaked in honey water for a while, this intensifies the flavour of the petals or flowers while also increasing the sweetness of the drink as a whole. This drink is typically made with magnolia berry juice; however, you can substitute canned juices or bottle drinks of their choice.
Fruits like pears, watermelon, and citrus fruits are used in addition to flowers and petals. People, on the other hand, are not afraid to try for an hour with various fruits such as cherries, melons, and peaches. This drink is popular in Korea during the summer, when temperatures can reach high levels. With the goodness of fresh fruits and edible flowers, it's the ideal drink to beat the heat. These sweet flowers and fruits are frequently used to make fizzy beverages.
Types of Hwachae:
• Melon punch (Chamoe-hwachae)- Made from Korean melon slices, cherries and honeyed magnolia berry juice.
• Apple punch (Sagwa-hwachae) - Made from apple slices and honeyed magnolia berry juice.
• Watermelon punch (Subak-hwachae)- Made from watermelon slices, honeyed watermelon juice, ice-cubes.
• Yuja punch (Yuja-hwachae)-Made from pears and yuja fruit and pomegranates
To prepare this at home, simply cut small pieces of fruit and place them in an ice dish. Add honey or sugar syrup to another dish of water, and edible flowers to that as well. Refrigerate it for 3-4 hours to ensure that the honey flavour is properly dissolved. After 3-4 hours, remove it and place the fruits in the water. Serve chilled. You can substitute any fizzy drink for the water. These are the most prevalent, but you can experiment with any type of fruit to create this unusual and beautiful-looking drink.