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Gwaha-ju () is a traditional Korean fortified wine rice wine. The refined rice wine cheongju (also called yakju) is fortified by adding the distilled spirit soju to produce gwaha-ju. Popular varieties include gangha-ju (강하주) of Boseong County and Yeonggwang in South Jeolla Province, sinseon-ju (신선주) of Namwon in North Jeolla Province, and yak-soju (약소주) of Suwon in Gyeonggi Province.
Regional varieties of gwaha-ju are called by their own regional names such as gangha-ju (), sinseon-ju (), and yak-soju ().
Other names mentioned in old documents include gwaha-baekju () in Sanga Yorok, a mid-15th century cookbook, and ohyang-soju () in Imwon gyeongjeji, an 1827 encyclopedic compilation.
Gwaha-ju was a devised product for hot and humid summers in the Korean Peninsula, during which regular cheongju (rice wine) was hard to brew and easily spoiled, and regular soju (distilled liquor) was too strong. The fortified rice wine was a luxurious prestige drink made in the wealthy households of yangban gentries in the early 15th century, but gradually spread and became popular among commonality.
Many legacy gwaha-ju recipes disappeared due to the harsh periods of Japanese forced occupation (1910–1945) and the Korean War (1950–1953). Today, only a few regional varieties such as gangha-ju () of Boseong County and Yeonggwang in South Jeolla Province, sinseon-ju () of Namwon in North Jeolla Province, and yak-soju () of Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, survive, with the recipes being transmitted within families.
A bottle of boiled and cooled water is added to nuruk (fermentation starter) powder and set aside overnight, strained with additional sterile water. A mal () of glutinous rice is steamed, cooled, and mixed with the nuruk-solution. After 3 days of primary fermentation, 20 bokja () of soju (distilled liquor) is added to the rice wine. The fortified rice wine is consumed after 7 days of secondary fermentation.
A recipe for gwaha-ju in the 1809 encyclopaedia Kyuhap ch'ongsŏ states:
1–2 doe () of white non-glutinous rice is cooked into beombeok (thick porridge), cooled, and mixed with nuruk powder. A mal () of glutinous rice is steamed, cooled, and mixed with the nuruk mixture. After 7 days of primary fermentation, 20 bokja () of soju (distilled liquor) is added to the rice wine.
Today, family recipes passed down through generations usually utilize various medicinal herbs as supplementary ingredients. A recipe in the 1827 document Imwon gyeongjeji states that ohyang-soju (five flavour distilled liquor) is made by: "brewing rice wine with cooked rice glutinous rice and nuruk (fermentation starter); adding powdered herbs such as Santalum album, Saussurea costus, snowparsley, and clove, as well as whole and and soju (distilled liquor) after the primary fermentation; sealing hermetically for the secondary fermentation; opening the wine jar after 7 days and sealing again; and letting age for 29 days."
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