Jung-gu Seoul bar date with traditional liquor: Moss

I visited Moss (모스), an Euljiro 3-ga bar where you can enjoy traditional Korean liquor and whiskey together. My boyfriend and I have been working our way through the neighborhood’s whiskey bars lately. Unlike the usual whiskey bar, Moss has a very clear identity centered on traditional liquor, and I was so happy with both the atmosphere and the drinks and food. Personally, it was an Euljiro 3-ga bar I wanted to give a full 100 points for both mood and flavor—something I haven’t felt in a while.

Moss seating and things to know before visiting

Moss has bar seating and table seating, and we sat at the bar that day. The overall mood was quiet and calm, so it was lovely to have a drink and talk as a pair—it also struck me as a great Euljiro 3-ga date spot.

• One drink per person is required.
• Visits are limited to 2 hours when there is a wait.
• Table seating is available for parties of 4 or more.
• Bottles of 500 ml or more can be kept, with a ₩10,000 keeping fee.
• Any liquor can be made into a highball for an additional ₩1,000.

Food unlike typical bar snacks

We had already eaten dinner, so we ordered only one Green Carbonara, but I was so curious about the fried mushrooms and olive geotjeori (freshly seasoned salad), too. Looking over the menu, I noticed it was a little different from the snacks you often see at a standard whiskey bar. That actually made me think Moss would be a good choice for anyone looking for good food in Euljiro 3-ga and wanting drinks to go with it.

The fun of choosing from traditional liquor to whiskey

Moss’s biggest difference from other whiskey bars is its wide range of traditional Korean liquors that pair well with Korean food. The categories are broken down into cloudy liquor, clear liquor, and distilled spirits, so there were truly lots of options to choose according to your taste. I especially like places where I can experience several kinds of alcohol in one visit when I’m on a date, so I really liked Moss on that front.

A bar right in the middle of Euljiro offering a glass for ₩11,000—what a gem.. It’s perfect as a second stop on a date. Hooray for traditional liquor. When you think of traditional Korean liquor, makgeolli (cloudy rice wine) is probably the first thing that comes to mind. I usually drink with a meal, or go to a whiskey bar as a second stop afterward, so I don’t tend to prefer filling drinks like makgeolli or beer. But Moss has so many clear rice wines and distilled spirits, which made it especially great for someone like me who likes to drink lightly! I came looking for an Euljiro 3-ga whiskey bar, and being able to drink such a variety of traditional liquor too felt completely fresh.

That said, it isn’t only traditional liquor: there were so many kinds of whiskey, brandy, and even limited-edition bottles that a group of friends with all sorts of drinking preferences could visit and enjoy themselves.

If you’re with a friend who can’t drink much, there is a highball menu, and any liquor can be changed into a highball for an extra ₩1,000—just something to keep in mind!

The complimentary seasoned vegetables that won me over at first bite

And then there was the complimentary starter that I loved from the first bite. One bite and I just knew: ah, this place is different, I need to come back, save it to my food map—★ It looked more like a proper side dish than a basic bar snack haha. The owner mixes these seasoned vegetable dishes personally, and I think they change a little with the seasons! I especially loved the cucumber salad heavily coated in perilla seed powder, so I even got a refillㅜㅜ It was so nutty that I thought it tasted like peanuts, but the owner said it contains only perilla seeds?! Someday I’m going to try making it at home...

Cheongju and yakju by the glass

For my first glass, I went light with Hyomojae, an 11.3% cheongju (clear rice wine). Its description mentioned the balance of fresh stone-fruit aromas such as peach and apricot with natural acidity, and it was sweet in exactly the way I like. It seemed like it would be perfect with aged sashimi.. Being able to choose and try glasses one by one like this was so fun that I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an Euljiro 3-ga bar.

My boyfriend’s first glass was Dream Conversation. This was also a clear liquor, a 13% yakju (refined rice wine). Looking at the description, it had bright peach and white-fruit aromas and flavors with a tangy edge, too? I guess we were both craving something sweet and fresh haha.

Green Carbonara and our second glasses

After a little wait, our main dish arrived. We picked the Green Carbonara for our snack that day! It was avocado- and spinach-based pasta topped generously with fresh cream. Honestly.. I’d been getting a little tired of the ordinary menus at whiskey bars lately, so this was so unusual and delicious. Traditional liquor and pasta went together better than I expected, you know? Now I’m curious about all the other dishes tooㅜ Next time, I’m determined to visit before dinner and demolish the other menu items as well.

My second glass was Mungyeong Baram Baekja. It was in the apple-distilled-spirit category and was a whopping 40%, but it truly did not taste that strong at all. It was simply a sweet apple-flavored drink. I thought, I absolutely need to buy a bottle of this later.

My boyfriend’s second glass was Munbae-sul, a pear-flavored distilled spirit. This was 40% too. It was described as having a sweet munbae pear aroma, and it was also so smooth that I couldn’t believe it was 40%. Recommended if you like pear notes!

Why it was great for a date

And one last thing I loved. Euljiro 3-ga has lots of old buildings, so the thing I worried about most while looking for a bar was honestly the bathroom. Here, the bathroom was inside the venue, and you take a key card and enter one person at a time. It was seriously as clean as a newly opened department store.. Perfect for a date or a blind date, right!?

After visiting, I found that Moss has a slightly different charm from the usual Euljiro 3-ga whiskey bar. You can try a wide range of clear traditional rice wines and distilled spirits, with whiskey, brandy, and limited-edition liquors also providing plenty of choice, so it is a good place to visit with someone whose drinking tastes differ from yours. The food, too, is a little different from typical bar snacks, making it feel less like a place just to drink and more like a place to slowly talk over delicious food and drinks.

It was especially nice for conversation over a drink in a quiet atmosphere, so I think it would suit anyone looking for an Euljiro 3-ga date spot. If somewhere overly noisy feels intimidating for a first meeting, it also seems like a solid Euljiro 3-ga blind-date venue. I think it is worth visiting not only for people who love traditional Korean liquor, but also for people who usually love whiskey and seek out Euljiro 3-ga bars. Next time, I want to go without having dinner first and properly try the fried mushrooms and olive geotjeori too.