Drink | Baijiu cocktails at Peking Tavern in Los Angeles

Peking Tavern, which Los Angeles Magazine cites as one of two spots in the city with baijiu cocktails, lists three such drinks on the menu.

This venue uses two kinds of baijiu: Red Star (Hongxing / 红星), an inexpensive erguotou easily found in China and ubiquitous in Beijing, and ByeJoe, distilled in Guizhou and refined in the United States. It combines them with an intriguing range of ingredients.

• Wong Chiu Punch, with Red Star, hibiscus and lemon juice. (Sounds like a good pick-me-up.)
• Jin Jing, with ByeJoe, ginger beer, Grand Poppy and basil. (Grand Poppy includes over a dozen items from southern California, including citrus, herbs, berries and the California poppy. More details here. Also, someone bring me a bottle!)
• Peking Coffee, with ByeJoe, coffee and horchata, a creamy liqueur. (This might have potential as a “hair of the dog” alternative the morning after a night of too much baijiu.)

The Los Angeles Magazine piece featured Cari Hah, who made the initial baijiu cocktails at Peking Tavern. Advice for creating baijiu cocktails include, “Do a tasting of several Baijius before you decide what you want to make a cocktail out of because it’s not substitutable” and “Pick out the subtle nuances of the Baijiu that you want to highlight or use and then think of the things you want to tone down and what would temper those flavors.”

Founded in 2015, World Baijiu Day is held each August 9, with events in over 60 cities so far. Follow WBD on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And get in touch via spirit (at) worldbaijiuday.com.