The Spirit You Thought You’d Never Use: Baijiu

China’s national spirit is finding a home in unlikely places as bartenders continue to push the boundaries of cocktails as we know them.

America’s bustling bar scene was the first place in the West baijiu found a following, with The New York Times claiming bartenders there are approaching the liquid with “the same sense of challenge they once brought to similarly aggressive spirits like overproof whiskey and mezcal.”

Now, the unusual beverage is inspiring local mixologists, keen to discover new flavour profiles.

WORDS ° Hannah Sparks

ICONIC TO A NATION

Despite holding a special place in China’s culture as its most popular beverage, baijiu’s pungent and strong character - with most bottled at 53% ABV - has meant it’s been slow to find a following in other markets.

Its profile is unlike anything else, made from a combination of grains including sorghum, barley, maize, rice, wheat and even peas, depending on the distillery’s specifications.

Using numerous ingredients results in a wider range of aromas and flavours than those found in most spirits, with baijiu described as anything from soy sauce, musk and fermenting grains, to mango, caramel and walnuts, or tobacco, grass and spice.

The other factor that sets baijiu apart from other Asian spirits, such as sake, is its production process, one that still mimics the agricultural techniques that would have been used by distillers, or then farmers, thousands of years ago.

Records suggest the production of baijiu began before the 2nd century BCE, during the Yuan dynasty.

ANCIENT WAYS

In many ways, the processes used today by baijiu producers are symbolic of China’s culture. While it may be technologically progressive, its remains deeply traditional.

Do not be mislead by the robots employed by baijiu brands to produce its counterfeit protected packaging or manage its human-free warehouse, because when it comes to the liquid, the techniques used are as ancient as it gets and considered a part of the country’s national heritage.

Completed entirely by manual labour and basic tools, in a snapshot, baijiu is made by milling and mixing several grains, which are then placed in underground pits or pots with jiuqu, a fermentation agent, and a small amount of water. Interestingly, baijiu is the only spirit made from solid-state fermentation, which means the mixture ferments largely on its own, without much water.

To picture it at this stage, imagine the roughage used to feed livestock. It’s a brown coloured, fibrous texture and is, in fact, what the mixture ends up as if it

doesn’t meet the distillers’ specifications.

Fermentation can take place for up to 80 days, after which it is pressed to obtain a liquid that will put hairs on your chest, starting at around 70% ABV.

The aroma and flavour of different brands of baijiu are mostly influenced by the type and amount of ingredients used; the local water source; length of fermentation; and airborne microorganisms. In general, premium baijiu is baijiu that has been aged for a longer period and contains a higher percentage of superior grains, namely sorghum.

TALKING TRADITIONS

Becuase of the multiple grains used to make baijiu, many Chinese people believe it contains nutritional benefits when consumed in small quantities. A bottle of baijiu or - for the rich and famous - a large ceramic jar of baijiu, which honestly looks like something you’d find in an Egyptian tomb, is highly prized by locals and can fetch up to $200k.

Aside from gifting, baijiu is commonly found in the majority of Chinese homes, served at all occasions including when hanging out with friends or with meals, just like beer or wine in Australia.

Traditionally, it’s served neat and poured from a small measuring jug into a thimblesized glass, which can somewhat fool you into believing that you’re still within your limit. That’s not helped either by the custom to match your neighbours’ drinking habits, with each toast met with a resounding “Ganbei” (cheers)!

WOULD YOU, BAIJIU?

In Australia, however, bartenders are finding a place for baijiu in cocktails.

The baijiu brands easily available here through local distributors are China’s top three largest. There’s Moutai, starting at $99 through Handpicked Wines; Wuliangye, starting at around $100 and available through the Ettason Group; and Yanghe, starting at approximately $76 per bottle and available through Casapania Trading.

Moutai has made a significant investment in Australia and is probably the best-known brand here. A finalist in Moutai’s 2017 Enter The Dragon Cocktail Competition and freelance bartender, Quynh Van Nguyen, had a chat with Drinks World about how he found using the product.

His cocktail, It’s Native Fizz Thyme, contained 30ml Moutai that had been solidified with mango skin to make it more approachable.

“The flavour of the baijiu is still there [in this cocktail], but the nose of the mango skin softened it.”

The recipe also included a lemon and thyme syrup and wattle seed bitters as part of the native ingredient component of the competition, but also to give the cocktail a coffee/chocolate backbone.

Another brand of baijiu popular with bartenders, and sitting at a cheaper price per nip - roughly $100-$120 a bottle, is the HKB Hong-Kong Baijiu, available through Noble Spirits.

David Green, Bar Manager at Alibi Bar in Woolloomooloo, Sydney has enjoyed sparking conversation with his customers by showcasing the HKB Baijiu in his cocktail Kung Fu Fighting.

He explained, “Everyone notices the baijiu at the first sip because it’s so strong. And when you explain what it is, customers become more intrigued.”

Alongside the baijiu, the cocktail includes Yellow Chartreuse, a rosemary and passionfruit shrub, and cold-pressed pineapple juice.

Dave says, he finds new characters in the baijiu each time he mixes it with a different ingredient. The Chartreuse in this recipe, for example, brings out a sweet, honey flavour, while the citrus highlights the sour notes in the spirit.

Another bartender using the HKB Baijiu is Etien Celzner, a finalist in The Perfect Blend 2018, VIC/TAS Professional Category. He created the cocktail The Goujian for The Glass House Hobart. He mixed Jinzu Gin, Cointreau, grapefruit juice, lime and star anise, and coriander syrup with the baijiu, and garnished the cocktail with hibiscus crystals.

Etien told Drinks World that he loves baijiu, despite it being an overpowering flavour.

“Baijiu was meant to be the focus [of this cocktail], so I really wanted that

flavour to stand out and for people to ask ‘what is that?’ I found the bitterness from the grapefruit dulled it down and masked it, so I had to use a larger pour. Most people said the drink reminded them of Allens Banana lollies!”

Not on the menu currently, but made to order, is the Baijiu Business at Junk Lounge in Sydney’s Circular Quay. It contains 30ml HKB Baijiu, 30ml Pampero Blanco Rum, 30ml strawberry and Szechuan syrup, and 45ml fresh pineapple and apple juice.

Pineapple is clearly a bartender favourite when it comes to mixing with baijiu. Scott Allan, the Bar Supervisor at Assembly Bar, explained that familiar sweet or fruity flavours not only help to introduce the unfamiliar flavour of baijiu to Western drinkers but also to highlight the spirit’s sweet, light and fruity notes.

“The full, pungent flavour of baijiu is not something you want to highlight in a cocktail,” Scott advised. “And the fruitiness and sweetness of baijiu are easy to highlight in a cocktail.”

Scott spent a lot of time playing around with ingredients that could be mixed with baijiu to create a couple of recipes for the Yanghe brand, which is China’s second largest producer of baijiu and has five products available here including Ocean Blue, Sky Blue, Dream Blue M3 and M6 and Daqu. These are made from a 1,500 year old recipe that consists of sorghum, barley, maize, sticky rice, rice and wheat.

Scott found that lime and soda worked against baijiu, with the first bringing out funky fermented flavours, while the latter counteracted the sweetness of the baijiu too much. On the other hand, he, like others, found pineapple worked well, as well as ginger ale, honey and plum to bring out the natural sweetness in baijiu. Scott also found the earthiness of ginger and similar ingredients provided a little more depth of flavour to the drink.

Like others, Scott is enjoying discovering the wide range of flavours available from baijiu and says it’s what he finds exciting about the spirit.

In his words, “there is a whole world of baijiu to explore.”

Would you list baijiu on your cocktail menu? Let us know via our Facebook page or email drinks.world@hipmedia.com