In Korea, Ginseng is eaten for both its medicinal properties and its unique taste; it's often said to have a bittersweet flavour but that description is far too limited. Ginseng's perfume is wonderfully pure and enticing. Ginseng and oxtail soup is not as well-known as the version that uses chicken. The oxtail provides sumptuous base flavours and a sticky quality. Ginseng and red dates give the soup contrasting bittersweet and sweet flavours while leeks lend an earthy richness. The soup is much lighter in colour than most other types of oxtail soup and so needs an accompanying drink that also leans towards the lighter, fresher end of the spectrum. Such a drink needs both freshness and density of flavours.
Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or, Scotland