Once presented as a tribute to the royals in China, Yanghe Daqu is a type of Baijiu that was first made in the Sui and Tang dynasties in AD 581. The liquor uses only the highest quality sorghum as a base and the best wheat, barley, and peas. The high temperature of the region acts as the fermenting agent. This traditional craftsmanship has been passed down the millennia.
Baijiu literally means White Liquor. It is a type of Chinese liquor made from whole grains like sorghum. Baijiu is clear, colorless, with alcohol content ranging between 40-60 percent.
While Baijiu is literally served at banquets and stored on the shelves of convenience stores right next to the mineral water, it is the most infamous drink in China. However, toasting 80-to-120-proof firewater isn’t everyone’s idea.
Understanding Baijiu
Let us take these questions and answers to understand Baijiu better.
Is Baijiu as good as Vodka?
Baijiu has yet to become popular in the West, unlike tequila or vodka.
What is Guojiao 1573?
Guojiao 1573 is a baijiu brand continuously produced by the distillery with the same name. It is the oldest baijiu producing distillery in the world and dates back to 1573, in the Ming dynasty. Both Guojiao 1573 and National Cellar 1573 are brands named in commemoration of its founding year.
What does Yanghe spirit Classic Ocean Blue mean?
It is a brand name claiming to condense the lasting appeal of the ocean within the bottle. Ocean Blue is a star product of the company that adopts superior original liquor containing the best liquid from the heart portion of the distillation. Ocean Blue is aged for a period of at least 3 years. It features a mellowly sweet cool taste that is refreshing.
How is Chinese Baijiu consumed?
Baijiu is traditionally served neat and at room temperature in China. It is normally drunk at mealtimes in the company of others. Shots from small glasses follow a series of communal toasts.
Is baijiu a whiskey?
It is a traditional Chinese distilled spirit that is usually made from grain. Baijiu draws from a more expansive palette than whisky does. It contains sorghum, along with barley, millet, rice, and peas that are regularly used.
Is baijiu a type of wine?
Baijiu is sometimes called by the more archaic term Shaojiu. It is a clear distilled liquor often regarded as the national drink of the People’s Republic of China. While Baijiu translates as “white wine”, it is not wine. In fact, Baijiu is a high-alcohol spirit that Chinese people prefer to consume with food, and not on its own.
Do baijiu and vodka taste similar?
Westerners have called Baijiu funky. It has a rotting, sweet fruit flavor with a touch of nuttiness to it. Some types of Baijiu have an aroma that is similar to soy sauce. Baijiu’s complex flavors arise from a production process passed down from one generation to another spanning over thousands of years.
Is baijiu and soju same?
The difference between soju and baijiu is that soju is a Korean distilled alcoholic beverage. It is similar to sake. While baijiu is a clear, Chinese distilled alcoholic beverage. Baijiu contains about 40-60% alcohol by volume and is typically distilled from sorghum.
What is Hong Kong baijiu?
The short name for Hong-Kong Baijiu is HKB. It is a newer brand of baijiu that is slowly making inroads in the U.S. HKB is distilled from a mash of five grains. These are sorghum, rice, sticky rice, corn, and wheat. And then HKB is blended in Italy by a grappa producer after ageing for two years.
What can be mixed with baijiu?
Absinthe goes very well with baijiu. So do Citrus and Mescal. You can also play around with spices. Including Ginger, Sherry, Nutty Liqueurs, Herbal Liqueurs, and Amari. This is a perfect way to introduce yourself to Baijiu. Fruits like fresh red berries tend to get lost. However, Pineapple is a great compliment that goes well with baijiu.
Is it necessary to chill baijiu?
No, Baijiu should never be chilled. It should always be served at room temperature. Baijiu is typically poured into a small ceramic pitcher and from where the spirit then goes into small, specialist glasses for drinking.
Is baijiu Chinese whiskey?
More or less. Baijiu has been made in China for more than 5,000 years. It is the country’s national drink that is distilled from glutinous rice or wheat. Every bottle of Baijiu is classified into one of these flavor categories: light, strong, rice, sauce (soy), or mixed.
Is baijiu good for your health?
The ‘clear liquor’ in Baijiu helps flush the body. It keeps the machinery operating around the blood cells that efficiently run. Baijiu works like wine when consumed in small quantities. It has similar qualities and health benefits.
What does baijiu smell like?
Baijiu is highly complex and aromatic, reminiscent of overripe tropical fruits like guava, pineapple or banana, with earthy cheese-like notes. Baijiu is the mouth that contains all of these flavors punctuated by a long, peppery finish.
Is baijiu stronger than vodka?
Baijiu tastes like intolerably bad alcohol. However, it is similar to vodka in clarity and strength (40-60 percent ABV). It is best to cleave to baijiu’s closer cousin, the Korean soju.
Which is the strongest alcohol in the world?
Spirytus Vodka is the strongest commercially-available spirit in the world. It has a whopping 95% abv. Therefore, consumers are warned to never drink the spirit neat. And instead, mix it with juice or use it as a base for liqueurs.
Baijiu is rare in the United States. It is available though at some cocktail joints around town. And usually, as a kind of one-off novelty that bartenders’ stock to impress. Nevertheless, baijiu’s billion-strong fan base in China means it’s the best-selling liquor in the world. It is not surprising that baijiu has failed to gain a foothold in the West. The most common flavor descriptions by those who have tried in the West include rotten fruits, sweaty socks, or even worse things. To the unaccustomed, this stuff tastes weird.
