Su chong kwa or Persimmon punch
Soogeonggwa, a "Nostalgia Drink" is one of two Korean cold drinks that were traditionally made before the cola softdrink invasion. It is still produced and canned in a squat 200ml yellow red stripped can that can be found in local Korean stores.
The strongest taste is cinnamony, but for a long time I didn't believe it really could be the source of the flavor. Cinnamon is not something you associate with Korean flavors. Korean's NE Asian flavor preference lacks many aromatic spices Westerners are accustomed to, tending toward salty, fishy, burny or beany.
The flavor's local connection -it's not imported - is
cassia bark locally called kaepi in Korean. The scrolls of bark can be found easily in street markets but they are unlike the cinnamon sticks you might have seen in someone's kitchen. Cassia bark is thicker and rougher and
looks more like tree bark.
Though Persimmons (kam) are so plentiful here in the Korean autumn, I never would have guessed from the flavor that they were the main ingredient in this reddish brown drink. Persimmons don't have a strong taste, and the impression is 'spiced sugar water' but for a cinnamon freak estrangled from its abundance elsewhere, this might do the trick.
Other ingredients include water, sugar (saltang), ginger (sangkang) and perhaps pinenuts.