Global interest in Chinese baijiu

吉林 何 斌

Despite the ongoing pandemic, global interest in Chinese“white liquor” has barely faded, with dozens of cities around the world celebrating World Baijiu Day.

Han Ling, the founder of Healer Bar in Shanghai, hosted a masterclass where she mixed baijiu with ingredients such as rosé,elderflower liquor, cinnamon, lemon and Bohea to create cocktails that would allow participants to better understand the taste of this Chinese spirit on World Baijiu Day on Aug. 9, 2020.

During the class, Han also dug into the history of baijiu and its production and preservation processes. Guests then got to sample different types of the spirit. Fermented（发酵） and distilled（蒸馏）from wheat or a mixture of sorghum（高粱）, rice, corn and barley（大麦）, baijiu was first made 5,000 years ago. Today, China has more than 10 types of baijiu that come in different flavors. The beauty of baijiu lies in its old nature. Chinese like traditional flavors and baijiu has exactly that. The production techniques for baijiu are quite unique as well. While the flavor of whiskeys and wines are affected by the type of containers they are stored in, you only taste the grain in baijiu.

Han, who has participated in the past three editions of World Baijiu Day, says the response to her events every year has been improving. “So many people want to know about baijiu these days.When we had a World Baijiu Day event at the bar in 2017, there was a long line of people waiting to enter,” she recalls. Her tiny bar that measures only about 80 square meters was again fully occupied on this day. The majority of the 30 guests, all of whom watched her demonstration intently, were foreigners.

Among them was Alexa Camus, whose family business represents famous Chinese baijiu brand Moutai in foreign markets. Having lived in Shanghai since 2001, the French woman says she loves the complexity involved in baijiu production. “Making baijiu is an art. Compared to many other types of spirits, baijiu is more complex in terms of production, which is more labor-intensive. The spirit also has an incredible variation in flavor profiles,” she says.

Critical

Thinking

How is baijiu made according to the text?