“Xiang de se. So fragrant. So complex and deep, it reaches into your soul.”
It is a truth universally acknowledged by non-Chinese, and probably many Chinese, who have just tried baijiu for the first time, that is has a certain ‘funk’. Finding your Baijiu Funk means knowing the flavours and embracing your environment. Officially, The Baijiu Funk is referred to as ‘fragrances’ which give an indication to the flavour:
Rice Fragrance (米香 mǐxiāng): like whiskey for a sore throat, baijiu also holds a medicinal quality in this flavour which can sometimes incorporate Chinese medicinal herbs, fruits, or tea leaves and is mainly produced in the Southern regions.
Light fragrance (清香 qīng xiāng): this is sweet, known as a Northern flavour and made from sorghum and rice husks and fermented in ceramic jars.
Strong fragrance (浓香 nóng xiāng): often sweet, popular and originates in spicy Sichuan province.
Sauce fragrance (酱香 jiàng xiāng): often has a similar flavour to soy sauce and compliments pickled foods.
Western palettes lean towards the lighter and sweet flavour, with sauce fragrance being reserved for the experienced. Like with many drinks, part of the Baijiu Funk is the social aspect. Baijiu is a traditional Chinese rice wine and is traditionally drunk at weddings, family dinners and business meetings – they are linked in a way whereby if you suggested to a Chinese business they should have a business dinner without it, it simply wouldn’t be a business dinner. However, as baijiu moves to be a drink of the next decade, find your own Funk by trying one of the cocktail recipes listed below.
What’s your Baijiu Funk? Find your baijiu funk at #findanother.
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LESS IS MORE
60 ml Light aroma baijiu 15 ml simple syrup
GARNISH with lime slices.
SERVE on ice in a cocktail glass.
BEIJING PANDA
45 ml Light aroma baijiu
10 ml lime juice
FILL with ginger ale.
SERVE in a bamboo cup over crushed ice.
GARNISH with a bamboo shoot.
SWEETIE
30 ml Light aroma baijiu
30 ml Chartreuse
30 ml Sweet Vermouth
2 DASHES Bitters
STIR on ice and serve with no ice.
GARNISH with orange zest and cherry.
SERVE in a chilled cocktail glass.
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