Rice wine is toast of the town in Seoul

SEOUL: South Korea makes no secret of its desire to see it's often fiery cuisine appreciated by a wider international audience. But if recent signs are anything to go by, it may have more luck with the local firewater.

Makgeolli, a milky rice wine traditionally a staple of the rural poor, is now winning converts among tourists and fashion-conscious youth.

Made by fermenting boiled rice and water, standard makgeolli has a light, sweet taste, a chalky texture and an alcohol content of only around 6 percent.