North Korean scientists have celebrated their alleged successful atomic-bomb test by creating an alcoholic beverage that could, if it turns out to be real, become a worldwide leader in the drinks industry – as it promises no hangover after a night of indulgence.
As reports the Pyongyang Times, the state-sanctioned news agency based in the Communist state’s capital, Koryo liquor, distilled from ginseng, leaves heads clear the morning after due to an innovative production process.
Described as tasting “suave,” the potent liquid contains between 30 and 40% alcohol and has long been a mainstay beverage of the ruling elite, in a country where millions are believed to have perished from hunger after years of famine.
Most alcoholic beverages made in North Korea are derived from potatoes or blueberries and the production of home-brew drinks is common.
But the PT is now reporting that Koryo’s manufacturer, Taedonggang Foodstuff Factory, has made a number of alterations to its formula and now the state authorities have declared it hangover-free. The key, according to the distillers, has been swapping to “boiled and scorched glutinous rice instead of sugar.”
The suave-tasting Koryo liquor [Pyongyang Times]
Taking a leaf out of classic Guinness advertising, the “[exuding] natural flavour” Koryo now guarantees to help drinkers avoid the symptoms of a hangover and do the body good, containing “essential amino acids... and vitamins.”
"Koryo Liquor, which is made of six-year-old 'Kaesong Koryo insam', known as being highest in medicinal effect, and the scorched rice, is highly appreciated by experts and lovers as it is suave and causes no hangover," the report reads.
For the moment, Koryo liquor is only available to visitors to the highly secretive Communist state, and the EU officially sanctions the importation of a number of products from the country including: pure-bred horses, caviar, truffles, cigars, cosmetics, leather goods, precious metals, sporting goods, and many more.
But perhaps the West should turn its sights towards the much-shrouded nation, as its hangover-free booze is not the only wonder product in development; in 2015, North Korean medical scientists claimed to have created a new drug, Kumdang-2, which is highly effective at treating Ebola and AIDS.
