By Jim Boyce | I’m giving a short presentation at a baijiu conference in Fuzhou this week and that meant sifting through lots of photos to find a few that would fit. And that inspired me to post ten that reminded me of memorable moments in my baijiu drinking experiences. I do realize that retaining memories and baijiu sessions are not typically associated with each other but this is evidence the two can co-exist!
It’s that ever-so-rare occasion when one follows a 1968 Beerenauslese from Austria with a Red Star erguotou from China, but such was the case at a dinner with wine academics, who also threw some organic Israeli vino into the mix.There’s that red star and green bottle again, this time for some experiments at bar BBC in Beijing. We actually had a few combos that tasted good!Now *that’s* a lot of baijiu. From a tasting organized by Derek Sandhaus. I arrived in Shanghai early in the morning, started tasting at 10 and then had to head to airport at 4 PM. I slept well that night.Our main party for World Baijiu Day 2015, at Pop-Up Beijing, with spirits from China, New Zealand and the U.S. and tasty “drunken shrimp” baijiu pizzas from Gung Ho. Good times!I really enjoyed the decor and drink presentation at baijiu bar En Vain in Beijing while it lasted. And the concoctions tasted good, too!I scream, you scream, we all scream for (baijiu) ice scream? French chef Gerard Taurin tries his hand at making this frozen treat with Yimuquan baijiu.Speaking of Yimuquan, I had a blast visiting their “jiu hai” (wine sea) cellar. These containers are made of woven branches and then lined with layer after layer of blood, paper and egg white. They date to the 1940s when metal was scarce and some of them remain in use today.If baijiu ice cream and baijiu pizza seemed a stretch during our first WBD campaign, then deep-fried baijiu was a whole other level. Here Dustin Merrett whips up a batch, complete with whipped cream, blueberries and mint.These gummy bears made by Alex Jennings were a lot of fun. Useful as cocktail garnishes or just straight up.Finally, not the best photo but it did come from a very good night at Q Bar, site of our main party for World Baijiu Day 2016. Once again we tried spirits from China, New Zealand and the U.S., this time with baozza, a tasty combo of two treats–baozza and pizza. Ganbei!
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.
Leave a Reply