The Korean Convenience Store Drink Combos All Over My Instagram Feed
From banana milk lattes to electric-blue sodas, here's how to make eight DIY drinks inspired by Korean social media.
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Korea has a café on practically every corner, but apparently, Instagram would rather we make our own drinks at the convenience store.
Lately, my feed has been full of people grabbing a cup of ice at CU or GS25, picking out two or three drinks, and pouring everything together like they've just invented a new café menu item.
Some combinations make perfect sense. Banana milk and coffee? Sure. Chocolate milk and banana milk? Absolutely.
Others are a little more questionable. Bacchus and Chilsung Cider? I have questions.
But I keep watching. There's something oddly satisfying about seeing the colors swirl together, especially when a drink made from two ordinary convenience-store products ends up looking like something you'd pay 6,000 won for at a café.
Koreans call these combinations pyeonuijeom kkuljohap (편의점 꿀조합), loosely meaning convenience-store combinations that work surprisingly well together. And while mixing drinks at convenience stores isn't new, social media has turned it into a little activity of its own.
I haven't tried these myself yet, but I've saved enough combinations that I might as well put them to good use.
Here are eight that caught my attention, from creamy banana milk lattes to colorful sparkling drinks. They're all nonalcoholic, although a few come with a caffeine kick.
First, Grab a Cup of Ice
If you've never made a drink at a Korean convenience store, the process is simple.
Look for the sealed plastic cups filled with ice, usually kept in a freezer near the beverages. They're sold separately, so you can pick your ingredients, pay for everything, and pour your drink together.
Korean convenience stores have sold ready-to-pour coffee and drink pouches for years. These combinations take the idea a little further, mixing bottled coffee, flavored milk, soda, and other everyday drinks.
You don't need a blender or any special equipment. Just an ice cup, your ingredients, and a little curiosity.
The quantities below are suggested starting ratios, inspired by combinations I've seen online rather than recipes I've personally tested. Adjust them to taste, and choose an ice cup large enough for the total volume.
Creamy & Café-Inspired
1. Banana Milk Latte (바나나우유 라떼)
· Creamy, sweet, coffee-forward
Grab: Binggrae Banana Flavored Milk (바나나맛우유), black coffee, and ice.
Mix: Pour approximately 240 mL of banana milk over ice. Add 60–100 mL of strong black coffee or one espresso shot. Stir before drinking.
The appeal: Korea's iconic banana milk gets a coffee-shop makeover. The milk is already sweet and creamy, so there's no need for extra syrup. I've also seen versions made with hazelnut coffee, which sounds even more like dessert.
2. Matcha Banana Latte (말차 바나나 라떼)
· Earthy, creamy, fruity
Grab: Binggrae Banana Flavored Milk, prepared unsweetened matcha, and ice.
Mix: Add approximately 200 mL of banana milk to a cup of ice. Slowly pour in 50–75 mL of concentrated matcha. Stir to combine.
The appeal: Matcha lattes are everywhere, but banana milk gives the familiar drink a sweeter, fruitier twist. The green matcha against the pale yellow milk also makes for a particularly pretty pour.
Tip: Prepare the matcha in advance with a small amount of water. Avoid adding dry powder directly to a cold drink, since it can clump.
3. Chocolate Banana Milk (초코 바나나 우유)
· Rich, creamy, dessert-like
Grab: Hershey's chocolate milk, Binggrae Banana Flavored Milk, and ice.
Mix: Combine 120 mL of chocolate milk and 120 mL of banana milk over ice. Stir well.
The appeal: This is basically a shortcut to a chocolate-banana milkshake, minus the blender. One creator compared the combination to chocolate-banana ice cream, and I can see why.
I'd probably start with a smaller serving, since both ingredients are already sweet.
Fizzy & Refreshing
4. Yakult Cider (야쿠르트 사이다)
· Tangy, sweet, fizzy
Grab: A small Yakult-style yogurt drink (야쿠르트), Chilsung Cider (칠성사이다), and ice.
Mix: Pour one small yogurt drink, approximately 65 mL, over ice. Slowly add 150–200 mL of Chilsung Cider and stir gently.
The appeal: Think of it as a fizzy yogurt soda. The yogurt drink adds a little tanginess and creaminess, while the cider brings the bubbles.
And just to clarify, Korean Chilsung Cider isn't alcoholic cider. It's a clear lemon-lime-style soft drink.
5. Peach Iced Tea Sparkler (복숭아 아이스티 스파클러)
· Fruity, light, bubbly
Grab: Peach iced tea, plain sparkling water such as Trevi, and ice.
Mix: Combine 150 mL of peach iced tea with 150 mL of sparkling water over ice. Stir gently.
The appeal: This might be the easiest combination to make, and one of the most practical. Adding sparkling water gives ordinary peach iced tea a little more personality without requiring syrups or other ingredients.
Use more sparkling water if you prefer a less sweet drink.
6. Powerade Cider (파워에이드 사이다)
· Electric blue, citrusy, fizzy
Grab: Blue Powerade or Powerade Zero, Chilsung Cider, and ice.
Mix: Pour 150 mL of blue Powerade and 150 mL of Chilsung Cider over ice.
The appeal: The color, obviously.
There's something entertaining about turning an ordinary sports drink into a bright blue soda that looks like it belongs on a café's seasonal menu. One creator I came across used a simple 1:1 ratio, making this one especially easy to remember.
It's essentially carbonated Powerade, but somehow that sounds more exciting when you're pouring it yourself.
7. Milkis Blue Soda (밀키스 블루소다)
· Creamy, citrusy, pastel blue
Grab: Milkis (밀키스), a blue lemonade drink, and ice.
Mix: Combine 120 mL of Milkis with 120 mL of blue lemonade over ice. Stir gently.
The appeal: If you've never had Milkis, it's a Korean carbonated soft drink with a sweet, creamy flavor. Mixing it with lemonade creates a cloudy blue soda that's particularly fun to look at.
It's probably one for people who enjoy sweeter drinks, but the pastel color alone makes it Instagram-worthy.
8. Bacchus Cider (얼박사)
· Sweet, fizzy, slightly herbal
Grab: One bottle of Bacchus (박카스), Chilsung Cider, and ice.
Mix: Pour one bottle of Bacchus over ice and top with approximately 200 mL of Chilsung Cider. Stir gently.
The appeal: This combination is commonly called eolbaksa (얼박사), a shortened name referring to ice, Bacchus, and cider.
Bacchus is a familiar Korean energy tonic, and adding soda gives it a sweeter, fizzy finish.
Of all the drinks here, this is probably the one I'm most curious about and least certain I'd enjoy.
Note: Bacchus contains caffeine, and the amount varies by product. Check the label, especially if you're sensitive to caffeine or already drinking coffee or other energy drinks.
Are Convenience-Store Drinks Actually Cheaper Than Café Drinks?
Not necessarily.
Once you're buying two or three beverages plus a cup of ice, the total can add up. And Korea isn't exactly short on affordable coffee chains. Between Mega Coffee, Compose Coffee, and Paik's Coffee, you can already get a reasonably priced drink without having to mix anything yourself.
So I don't think saving money is the entire point.
Part of the appeal seems to be making something yourself. You get to choose the ingredients, experiment with the ratios, and see whether a combination you found on Instagram is actually any good.
There's also the satisfaction of watching everything come together. Dark coffee swirling into banana milk, a blue drink turning cloudy when it meets Milkis, or a fizzy soda bubbling over ice. It's a small thing, but apparently a very watchable one.
And while some of these combinations have become popular among international visitors, Korean creators are experimenting with them too. What starts as an ordinary convenience-store purchase can become a recipe that gets shared, copied, and modified.
Where to Find the Ingredients
If you're in Korea, start with CU, GS25, or 7-Eleven. Product selection varies by branch, but many of these ingredients are familiar Korean convenience-store drinks.
Look for the ice cups in the freezer section, then check the refrigerated shelves for banana milk, bottled coffee, yogurt drinks, and sodas. You may need to visit a larger branch for less common flavors.
Outside Korea, Asian grocery stores and online retailers may carry shelf-stable products such as Milkis, Chilsung Cider, and Korean drink concentrates. Refrigerated banana milk can be harder to find depending on where you live.
You can also experiment with similar products if you can't find the exact Korean brands, although the taste may change.
Which One Would I Try First?
I'm leaning toward the banana milk latte.
Maybe it's because banana milk is such a familiar Korean drink, or maybe it's because adding coffee to something sweet and creamy feels like a fairly safe experiment.
The matcha version is a close second.
As for Bacchus and cider, I still have questions.
What I find amusing about this whole trend is that none of these ingredients are particularly new. Banana milk, Milkis, Chilsung Cider, and Bacchus have been around for years. Instagram has simply given people new ways to use them.
And in a country where finding a café is rarely difficult, there's something funny about people choosing to make their own drinks between the refrigerated shelves and the checkout counter.
Maybe I'll finally try one the next time I'm at CU. Although knowing myself, I'll probably spend longer deciding what to mix than it would have taken to order an iced Americano.
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