Best Korean Convenience Store Highballs Ranked

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The Canned Highball Craze Hits Seoul Convenience Stores

At 11:15 PM on a humid Tuesday in Mapo-gu, I stood frozen in front of the open-air glass fridge at my neighborhood GS25. A whole row that used to hold standard Cass and Terra beers had been completely taken over by colorful, sleek cans bearing labels like ‘Real Lemon,’ ‘Earl Grey,’ and ‘Butter Highball.’ Over the past couple of years, the drinking culture in Seoul has undergone a massive shift. While traditional nights out still feature endless green bottles of Chamisul soju and cold lagers, the younger crowd—and solo drinkers like me heading home after work—have embraced the RTD (ready-to-drink) canned highball.

A few years ago, if you wanted a decent highball in Korea, you had to visit a cozy Japanese-style izakaya in Hongdae or Itaewon, where a bartender would mix Suntory Kakubin with tonic water and a slice of lemon for around 8,000 to 10,000 won. Today, Korean convenience stores like CU, GS25, and Seven-Eleven have democratized the drink. Local breweries, soju giants, and international distillers are pumping out creative, pre-mixed highballs in 500ml cans. They are cheap, crisp, wildly creative, and heavily featured in convenience store bundle deals. But with dozens of options popping up every month, which ones are actually worth your money and which ones taste like carbonated cough syrup? Here is my honest breakdown from someone who drinks them regularly.

Honest Reviews: The Top Canned Highballs in Korea

1. CU Real Lemon Highball (Saeng Lemon Highball by Kabrew)

If there is one product that broke the Korean internet and triggered early-morning convenience store runs across Seoul, it is the Real Lemon Highball sold exclusively at CU. Created in collaboration with craft brewery Kabrew, this drink features a full pull-tab lid that peels completely off, revealing an actual, floating slice of real lemon floating right at the top of the can.

Taste & Texture: The moment you pop the full-top lid, the carbonation causes the real lemon slice to float to the top. Flavor-wise, this is easily one of the most balanced canned options on the market. It is not overly cloying like cheap soda-based canned cocktails. The real lemon adds genuine tartness and a pleasant hint of citrus rind bitterness that cuts through the sweetness. Alcohol-wise, sitting at around 8.3% ABV, it carries a noticeable alcoholic kick—stronger than a standard beer, but smoother than a straight soju shot.

Sweetness & Spice Comparison: On a sweetness scale, it is much less sweet than a canned Smirnoff Ice or Mike’s Hard Lemonade, feeling closer to a freshly squeezed izakaya highball. If you are eating something spicy—say, a bowl of Shin Ramyun or hot fried chicken—the crisp citrus and high fizz completely cleanse your palate without overwhelming you.

How Koreans Drink It: You pop the lid, let the lemon float up, and sip it straight from the wide opening. Koreans pair this exact can with hot counter foods from CU, like spicy fried chicken skewers or microwaveable spicy rice cakes (tteokbokki). The natural acidity chops right through greasy foods.

2. Jim Beam Canned Highball (Lemon & Grapefruit)

When global giant Jim Beam officially teamed up with Korean distributors to drop official canned highballs in convenience stores, people rushed to buy them. Available across GS25, CU, and Seven-Eleven, these come in classic Lemon and Grapefruit flavors.

Taste & Texture: Unlike many local craft highballs that use grain spirit or soju bases with whiskey flavoring, Jim Beam uses real Bourbon whiskey in these cans. You actually smell the vanilla and oak notes of the bourbon right away. The carbonation is sharp and tight. The Grapefruit flavor is bright and juicy, while the Lemon flavor delivers that quintessential, textbook highball taste you get at a pub.

Sweetness & Spice Comparison: At around 5% ABV, it is lighter on alcohol than the Real Lemon Highball, making it extremely crushable. It is noticeably sweeter than a homemade whiskey-and-soda, but far less sugary than commercial canned ciders. It sits right in the middle ground—sweet enough to enjoy casually, but boozy enough to remind you it is genuine bourbon.

How Koreans Drink It: This is a staple for outdoor drinking (what Koreans call Pyeon-su, or drinking at the plastic tables right outside convenience stores). Grab a bag of ice (200 won), a plastic cup, and pour this over ice alongside a bag of Butter Garlic Popcorn or Honey Butter Chips.

3. GS25 Beurre Butter Highball (Boulangerie Beurre)

When the craft brand Boulangerie Beurre launched their ‘Butter Beer’ and ‘Butter Highball’ lines at GS25, they created massive lines around convenience stores in Gangnam. The vintage-style pastel cans immediately took over Instagram feeds across the country.

Taste & Texture: Opening this can unleashes a powerful aroma of hazelnut, vanilla, and sweet butter. The texture is surprisingly carbonated, but the flavor profile is divisive. The actual liquid does not contain heavy oil, but it uses heavy aroma compounding to give you the illusion of drinking a rich, buttery dessert cocktail.

Sweetness & Spice Comparison: This drink is very sweet and rich. Compared to standard citrus highballs, it feels much heavier. If you enjoy sweet dessert cocktails, espresso martinis, or sweet liqueurs like Baileys, you might enjoy this. However, if you are looking for a refreshing, crisp drink to quench your thirst on a hot day, this is not it.

How Koreans Drink It: Because of its rich vanilla and nutty undertones, Koreans usually treat this like a nightcap or pair it with savory, salty snacks to balance the sweetness—like salted nuts, dried squid with mayo, or pretzel snacks.

4. Soonhari Earl Grey Highball

After a famous Korean variety show featured a celebrity making an Earl Grey highball with tea syrup, the entire nation became obsessed with tea-infused cocktails. Lotte Chilsung quickly responded by releasing the canned Soonhari Earl Grey Highball, now widely available across all major Korean convenience store chains.

Taste & Texture: It pours a clear amber color with moderate fizz. The bergamot and black tea fragrance hits your nose immediately. The taste leads with sweet black tea syrup, followed by a light spirits finish and a slightly tannic, pleasant tea aftertaste.

Sweetness & Spice Comparison: It is quite sweet—similar in sugar feel to a canned sweet black tea or bubble tea, but with a 5% alcohol kick. Compared to the tart citrus highballs, this one slides down almost too easily because the tea completely masks the alcohol taste.

How Koreans Drink It: This is exceptionally popular among people who dislike the harsh medicinal taste of cheap liquor. It is commonly paired with spicy, salty convenience store meals—like Samyang Buldak Carbonara or spicy sausage stir-fry—because the sweet tea flavor tempers the mouth-burning chili heat effortlessly.

Korean Convenience Store Highball Buying Breakdown

Product Name	Approx. Price	ABV (%)	Flavor Profile
CU Real Lemon Highball	4,500 Won	8.3%	Crisp, tart, genuine lemon bitterness
Jim Beam Highball (Lemon)	4,000 Won	5.0%	Classic oak bourbon, bright citrus, soda fizz
GS25 Butter Highball	4,500 Won	4.0%	Rich hazelnut, vanilla, sweet butter aroma
Soonhari Earl Grey Highball	4,000 Won	5.0%	Sweet bergamot, black tea, smooth finish

Note: Convenience store prices in Korea generally range from 4,000 to 4,500 won per single 500ml can. However, almost every store offers bundle promotions—such as ‘4 cans for 12,000 won’ or ‘3 cans for 12,000 won’—which mix and match beers and highballs. Product lineups change constantly, with limited seasonal editions dropping every few months.

How to Get It Abroad

If you are outside South Korea and craving these viral convenience store cans, getting your hands on exact canned alcohol imported directly from Korea can be tricky due to strict international liquor import laws and alcohol excise taxes. However, you do have a few reliable options:

• H Mart & Local Asian Supermarkets: Major Korean grocery chains in the US, Canada, Australia, and Western Europe (like H Mart, Zion Market, or Hannam Chain) frequently stock Korean RTD beverages in their licensed alcohol aisles. While you might not always find limited-edition craft cans like the CU Real Lemon, you can often find commercial highballs from Lotte, Soonhari, and Jinro.
• Recreating Them at Home: Since many Korean highballs use easily accessible bases, international fans often make them at home. Grab a bottle of standard Korean Soju (like Jinro Is Back or Chamisul) or Japanese whiskey, mix 1 part spirit with 3 parts flavored tonic water or Chilsung Cider, and add Earl Grey syrup or fresh lemon slices.
• Specialty Asian Liquor Distributors: In cities with large Korean-American or Korean-diaspora communities, licensed wine and spirits shops near Asian hubs sometimes carry imported Korean RTD cocktails.

Verdict

The Korean convenience store highball revolution is far more than just a passing social media trend—it has genuinely elevated the casual drinking experience in Seoul. The creativity, convenience, and quality-to-price ratio are outstanding, especially when taking advantage of the multi-can bundle promotions.

If you only try one drink when visiting Seoul, make it the CU Real Lemon Highball. The combination of real fruit, solid alcohol percentage, and crisp, non-sugary profile makes it a absolute benchmark for RTD drinks worldwide.

Overall Category Score: 8.5 / 10

FAQ

What is the alcohol content (ABV) of Korean convenience store highballs?

Most canned highballs in Korean convenience stores range between 4% and 8.3% ABV. Lighter, flavored options like Earl Grey or Butter Highballs usually sit around 4% to 5%, while real spirit bases like the CU Real Lemon Highball reach up to 8.3% ABV.

Are Korean canned highballs made with real whiskey or soju?

It depends on the brand. International branded cans like Jim Beam use authentic bourbon whiskey. However, many domestic Korean highballs use a base of neutral grain spirits, distilled soju, or malt liquor blended with whiskey flavorings and aromatic extracts to keep costs affordable.

Can tourists get the ‘4 for 12,000 won’ discount at convenience stores?

Yes! The multi-can bundle discounts (like 4 cans for 12,000 won) apply automatically at the register when you scan eligible cans together at GS25, CU, Seven-Eleven, or Emart24. You do not need a local membership card or Korean phone number to get the promotional pricing; simply pay with cash or an international credit card.

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