World Baijiu Day 2024
Places Planetwide to Get into the Spirit
Some happenings for the tenth annual World Baijiu Day.
World Baijiu Day is on August 9, which falls on a Friday this year, and I will be regularly updating this page about partners for this year’s celebration (gold label) as well as places that regularly carry baijiu (red label). To avoid disappointment, make sure to double-check and RSVP before you go. Lo
RED = Places to Get Baijiu Gold = Active WBD Particiants
AUCKLAND
Huami Restaurant
Huami Chinese Restaurant offers baijiu fans everything from top-range labels to cocktails to ice cream that includes 53%-alcohol baijiu and is misted when serving to highlight the flavor.
Baiji cocktail fans can try Jade Dragon, which also has white rum, green tea, apple juice, green apple syrup, citrus and bitters, and Pao Pao Pasion, a mix of passionfruit, elderflower, apple and local sparkling rosé. The Baijiu Blush features rhubarb gin, creme de violet and citrus.
Huami has a baijiu, including its house label, aged ten years and hailing from Maotai Village. See the beverage list here.
BALTIMORE
Ni Hao Restaurant
Along with a wide range of Chinese dishes, from dim sum, mapo tofu and kungpao chicken to its signature Peking duck, Ni Hao lists 16 baijiu options, including Vinn, Moutai, Niulanshan, Kinmen Kaoliang, Luzhou Laojiao, Ming River and Wuliangye.
There are also several baijiu-inspired cocktails. Check out the menu here.
BANSKO
Moutai Bulgaria
Bansko, a popular resort town near the Pirin Mountains, is well-known for skiing, as a popular summer retreat and an International Jazz Festival. For the past few years, Moutai Bulgaria has celebrated World Baijiu Day during the festival and is up for it again, this time from August 3 through 10.
BEIJING
Burge’s Bar & Bistro
Look for World Baijiu Day to team up with Burge’s Bar& Bistro again in Sanlitun on August 9.
The event will feature four original baijiu cocktails, each using ingredients from Lucas Bols, at RMB48 / USD7, with cocktail and snack packages, too, thus providing even more value.
Burge’s was the site of our 2022 party. And given Allen Zhang, who oversees all three Burge’s venues, is a skilled bartender with plenty of experience with baijiu, it should be a great way to get into the spirit.
I’ll have more details on the cocktails soon. Click here for a short video.
BEIJING
Dada Beijing
One of Beijing’s leading electronic music clubs has a permanent baijiu cocktail–The Chinglish–on its menu.
BUENOS AIRES
Nicolas Constantin is the rare person who has done WBD events on two continents. This globe-trotting bartender first participated in WBD in 2017 in Buenos Aires at 430 / 四三〇 Ramen & Drinks. Then did events in 2018 and 2019 in Spain, both in Marbella and Feungirole.
He has since been in Buenos Aires, including 2022, when he hosted a World Baijiu Day event at Harakiri de Una and got bars Chintoneria, Malasangre and Milion on board with baijiu cocktails. And last year, with a get-together at SOFA.
This year, Constantin returns to at Harakiri de Una and plans to include plenty of flashback cocktails from World Baijiu Days past. Follow his updates here.
CAMBRIDGE
Sumiao Hunan Restaurant
Sumiao has featured everything from dishes like Sizzling Baijiu Shrimp to cocktails like Beijing Berry Fizz over the years.
This is in addition to Sumiao’s menu regulars, Baijiu Blast, Fung Wah and Perpetual Motion–check out Richard Auffrey’s post for more details. Plus, a half-dozen baijius that can tasted straight up, including Moutai, Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao, Xi Feng Jiu, Red Star and Ming River. See Sumiao’s menus here.
CHANGSHA
St Regis Hotel
Every St Regis Hotel has its version of The Bloody Mary. And in the case of Changsha, it is called The Baijiu Mary.
“Infused with the spirit of Changsha, the Baijiu Mary combines fresh flavors from Hunan Province with Baijiu, a traditional Chinese liquor. Chili adds a distinctive touch inspired by local cuisine, while a twist of orange evokes nearby Orange Island and the curve of the grand staircase at The St. Regis Changsha.”
Along with baijiu, chili and orange, the recipe includes tomato juice, lemon juice, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. See the full recipe here.
CHENGDU
Cream Story
Baijiu popsicles! Enjoy three flavors at all Cream Story shops in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu from August 9 to August 31.
Xifeng Baijiu, Peach & Lemon. Moutai, Coffee & Blueberry. 1573 Baijiu, Pineapple & Passion Fruit. Beat the heat with baijiu ice lollies! And check out a video on Cream Story here.
CHENGDU
Temple House
A cocktail of three cities, so to speak, as Nick Lappen first participated in World Baijiu Day two years ago when he was running Boston Baijiu Bar. Then did so last year in Hong Kong at Call Me Al.
This year sees him in a third metropolis as he mixes drinks baijiu-centric cocktails at Temple House.
I’ll have more on his plans soon. In the meantime, check out this Q&8 with Nick about his first experience with baijiu, tips for home bartenders using this spirit, his favorite cocktail creation, and more.
CHICAGO
Nine Bar
Opening in Chicago’s Chinatown in 2022, Nine Bar offers tasty snacks, like dumplings, mapo fries, cold sesame noodles and “General Jones’ Wings”, and creative cocktails. The latter includes baijiu concoction Ebb & Flow with Iichiko shochu, Ming River baijiu and soft drink Calpico plus basil, strawberry and lemon. For more details, see Nine Bar’s website.
CHRISTCHURCH
Taizi
New Zealand baijiu brand Taizi and Glenn Schuitman, who hosted our first major World Baijiu Day bash in 2015 in Beijing and is now home in Christchurch, have long been WBD supporters.
They are teaming up again this year, at The Victoria Free House, for a banquet on August 9 that includes an original baijiu cocktail on arrival, the tasting of two baijius—Taizi from Christchurch and Yu Shan Kaoliang from Taiwan, and a five-course dinner prepared by Victoria Free House Chef Marshall Denovan.
Dishes include “Baijiu-cured Akaroa salmon tartare, dashi witlof, mandarin and sorrel” and “Cardamom panna cotta and baijiu rhubarb jelly.” (I feel like I need to taste “baijiu rhubarb jelly” at least once in this lifetime.)
This dinner is $89 per person—see full details here—and seats tend to go quick, so RSVP ASAP with Glenn Schuitman, who will host, joined by Sam Lu of Taizi and Hank Chu of Yu Shan.
DUBLIN
Celebrate specials in Dublin with Moutai Ireland and Wong’s Chinese Restaurant from August 2 through August 11, including on both dishes and cocktails.
Enjoy a Fillet Steak and Broccoli or Salt and Pepper Squid, paired with any Moutai cocktail, for just €35. And a three-for-the-price-of-two deal on all Moutai cocktails and Moutai Prince shots.
This is a good chance to check out Wong’s new cocktails, including the Moutai Cooler, with lemon, mango and pineapple, and the Moutai Blue Margarita!
EDMONTON
Baijiu
Cocktail bar and eatery Baijiu has been making baiiu cocktails for years. The current menu includes the Baijiu Sour, with baijiu, Remy Martin VSOP, five-spice syrup, lemon and egg white, and the Baijiu Barbie (pictured), with baijiu, coconut tequila, pineapple syrup and lemon.
(Baijiu also recently featured a special cocktail called Age of the Crane — Langjiu baijiu, Campari, ginger, lime and mandarin cordial — with all proceeds from sales going to wildfire relief.)
For the full menu, including creative twists on classic Chinese snacks, check out the site.
GUANGZHOU
Sanyou
Prinsepia utilis Royle!? Had to look up that ingredient, part of a new cocktail called Baijiu Concerto that will launch at both the Sanyou bars in Guangzhou and Shenzhen on World Baijiu Day.
Per several science journals, it is an oil-yielding shrub found 1000 meters and up in the Himalayan mountains and used in Chinese and Indian folk medicines. See the recipe for that concoction, plus a second one featuring 10-year-old yellow wine and baijiu, in this video.
And kudos to Sanyou, a supporter for many years of World Baijiu Day, which marks its tenth anniversary on Friday.
GUANGZHOU
DoubleTree By Hilton
Necessity is the mother of invention they say. And when the staff at DoubleTree By Hilton needed a new cocktail for a menu tasting with the media last year, they turned to an old China favorite, Moutai, and paired it with fruit and flowers.
DoubleTree By Hilton, helmed by GM Chris Roberts, has been involved in WBD since the start and the story above is just one of the fun things he’s done. I’ll update soon with details for 2024.
See posts about DoubleTree By Hilton here.
HANDAN
URBREW
URBREW in Handan—a city of 9.4 million people 450 km south of Beijing—is best-known for making contract beers for top brew pubs, restaurant chains and retailers as well as for having hundreds of franchises across the country.
URBREW also has several houses baijius and experimented with those recently in its brewpub, with CEO Li Qing getting behind the bar. First up was a strong-aroma baijiu that nicely tamed an intense cherry wheat beer called Domineering Cherry. The second was a sauce-aroma baijiu with a chocolate-ginger stout — 30 ml added to a half a can of beer worked well.
Check these out at URBREW’s brewpub on August 9. And click here for a video of those taste tests.
HANGZHOU
Cream Story
Baijiu popsicles! Enjoy three flavors at all Cream Story shops in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu from August 9 to August 31.
Xifeng Baijiu, Peach & Lemon. Moutai, Coffee & Blueberry. 1573 Baijiu, Pineapple & Passion Fruit. Beat the heat with baijiu ice lollies! And check out a video on Cream Story here.
HAMBURG
Kofookoo & Wisdom Express
Enjoy tasty new Moutai cocktails at restaurant Kofookoo. Wisdom Express, the official German importer for Moutai, is again getting into the World Baijiu Day spirit, this time with a theme of “Unleash Your Senses” at Kofookoo.
The Moutai Tropical Mint marries the rich complex character of Moutai with a “tropical symphony” of yuzu juice and tangy passionfruit juice. Meanwhile, the Moutai Ginger Delight intertwines the spicier aspects of Moutai with the warmth of ginger and fresh melon.
Check out these creative cocktails. As Wisdom Express puts it, “Celebrate World Baijiu Day in style as we showcase the artistry of mixology with Moutai’s unique flavours.”
JAKARTA
Tang Court
Visit Tang Court in The Langham to experience the cocktail Mogao Cave, with baijiu, pineapple, melon, yuzu and tonic water, or to try a selection of baijius available by the bottle or 60 ml pours. See the beverage menu here.
KUNMING
DADA
The sibling of DADA Beijing also features a permanent baijiu cocktail called The Chinglish on the menu. Pop in for some music and drinks for World Baijiu Day as longtime WBD supporter, DADA co-owner and DJ Michael Ohlsson will be on town on August 9!
LIMA
El Infusionista
El Infusionista has ranked among the best places to enjoy a baijiu cocktail since it was founded in 2018.
That includes the Budai, which includes both baijiu and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple whiskey. Check out more about El Infusionista here.
LAUNCESTON
Sanyou
The distillery Sanyou, based in Launceston in Tasmania, is pushing the boundaries of baijiu beyond Asia. The trio of Ian Sypkes, Tim Ye and Chris De Bono combine the traditional continuous fermentation method associated with Chinese baijiu with ingredients sourced from Australia. Last year, Sanyou held a tasting at The Barrel Collective, including barrel-aged and fruit-infused baijiu. Look for a belated WBD event in September or October so as not to clash with Tasmania Whisky Week. Also, check out this Q&8 with Ian Sypkes here.
LONDON
Demon, Wise & Partners
Over the years, Demon, Wise & Partners has marked World Baijiu Day with everything from baijiu tasters to a fenjiu-inspired night to a guest bartender – Yao Lu of Union Trading Company in Shanghai.
This year’s feature is a cocktail called the Bai Tai that will also find a place on the regular menu. Ming River Baijiu, falernum, spiced pineapple juice and umami bitters.
Check it out at Demon, Wise & Partners, billed as the “basement cocktail bar in The City of London.”
LONDON
Canton Blue
The Peninsula Hotel restaurant Canton Blue will feature a week of Baijiu celebrations starting August 9.
“We’ll be serving four special dishes our chefs have developed using this traditional Chinese wine,” posts the restaurant. “Enjoy each dish with a glass of the baijiu served to enhance the aromas.”
The menu also three baijiu by the glass and by the bottle, including five from Moutai, up to a 50-year-old. Other options are from Langjiu, Fen Chiew, Red Star and Luzhou Laojiao / Ming River.
Check out the Canton Blue website and its menus here. And its Instagram account here.
LONDON
Gouqi Restaurant
Gouqi features Baijiu cocktails in a diverse and extensive beverage menu.
Pixiu is an earthy and bitter mix of Campari, Antica Formula, baijiu, coffee and kumquat. More familiar will be a riff on the Negroni, with baijiu, vermouth and Campari.
Gouqi also has baijiu available by the bottle or single pours, including from Wuliange and Moutai. And there is no lack of food options, given everything from Peking duck with caviar to dim sum platters to tasting menus. See all the menus here.
LOS ANGELES
Peking Tavern
Taost-worthy news that Peking Tavern in Los Angeles will join World Baijiu Day this year!
Peking Tavern, co-founded by Andrew Chiu and Andrew Wong, is among the original partners from the very first World Baijiu Day in 2015—and one of the few still in business.
Over the years, the owners have done everything from a baijiu cocktail contest featuring consumers as mixologists to cool baijiu and food pairings to hosting the event outside during the pandemic, all while having a selection of baijiu-inspired drinks all year round, including the Wong Chiu Punch, Jin Jing and Peking Coffee. This year’s feature is a house banana- and mango-infused baijiu!
Check out this video for a few highlights over the years.
MARSEILLES
Bar Dans Les Arbres
Baijiu punch returns!
One of the most beautiful World Baijiu Day creations returns this Friday as the welcome drink at Bar in the Trees / Bar Dans Les Arbres near Marseilles.
Kudos to the super busy Guillaume Ferroni, who, for World Baijiu Days past, masterminded everything from all staff inventing a cocktail to a special Silk Road drinks menu.
If you have dreamed of drinking quality cocktails in a treehouse, and are around this week, head over to Bar Dans Les Arbres on August 9! RSVP here.
MINNEAPOLIS
Gai Noi
With a name closely associated with sticky rice, this Laotian restaurant has everything from egg rolls and green papaya salad to peanut noodles and lemongrass chicken skewers.
Baijiu also features on the menu, including in the Pho Spiced Old Fashioned, which includes blended whiskey, cane juice, star anise, cinnamon and fennel. More details, including how to eat sticky rice, here.
NEW YORK
929
Long Island City’s 929 bills itself as an “immersive space for the celebration of Cantonese and Mandarin pop music from the 1980s and beyond” and lists several cocktails alongside appealing comfort foods.
Those include “She’s Spicy“, which brings peppery heat and tropical power as mala-infused Luzhou Laojiao baijiu meets kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, coconut liqueur, pineapple and lime. And the intriguing “Smoking Poet” with bacon-infused Kiukiang baijiu, Maker’s Mark whiskey, and orange and Angostura bitters.
See the official website, including the food and drink menus, here. And the Instagram page here.
NEW YORK
The Red Pavilion
The Red Pavilion is tea house by day and club by night, promoting Chinese culture via traditional medicine lessons, food classes and mahjong sessions as well as live music, aerial cabaret and open mics.
Baijiu plays a strong role on the drink menu, created by Orson Salicetti, who consulted on New York’s first baijiu bar, the former Lumos, in 2015. Sesame Colada sees baijiu and rum balanced with caramelized pineapple, sesame paste, mangosteen and lemon.
A trio of ‘herbal’ shots includes Awake (baijiu-infused goji berries with chrysanthemum), Long Living (baijiu and whisky with Buddha hand and barberry) and 20 Herbs Special (a combo of baijiu and vodka infused with the seasonings in question.) The Red Pavilion is open Thursday to Sunday. Details here.
PETALING JAYA
CCS IMPORTS
Enjoy a full day of baijiu-inspired fun with CSS Imports, including a welcome drink, baijiu tasting, lucky draws and dining options. From 11 AM to 9 PM on August 9. See poster for details and this link for RSVP.
PORTLAND
Grandma’s Secret
Portland is home to one of the rare baijiu producers based outside of China — VINN — and you can find their spirit at Grandma’s Secret.
Check out the cocktail Le Colonial, which includes VINN baijiu, genepy, Giffard Lichi-Li, cucumber, lemon and Thai basil.
More about Grandma’s Secret here. And more about Vinn here.
ROME
Dao Chinese Restaurant
The Dim Sum Bar at Dao offers a range of jiaozi, baozi and wonton along with signature cocktails. That libations lineup includes a concoction with China’s most famous baiju, Moutai. Along with baijiu, the Sunset Mule includes strawberry juice, lime juice and ginger beer. Check out the menu here.
SAN FRANCISCO
Lost Cats
This bar in the heart of San Francisco aims for “the perfect balance between spirits and flavor.” And that includes a baijiu cocktail on the menu.
See You Tomorrow is a mix of Ming River baijiu, blue curacao, vodka, Red Bull, Sprite, lemon and goji berry. More details about Lost Cats here.
SHANGHAI
Tacolicious
Logan Brouse, who first participated in World Baijiu Day at Logan’s Punch — a “speak loudly” rather than a “speakeasy” — and mostly recently in 2023 at Post No Bills, is bringing the party to his spot Tacolicious for a Mexican twist on Chinese spirits. Expect four cocktails, each using an ingredient from Lucas Bols and costing RMB50. Full details soon.
SHANGHAI
Cream Story
Baijiu popsicles! Enjoy three flavors at all Cream Story shops in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu from August 9 to August 31.
Xifeng Baijiu, Peach & Lemon. Moutai, Coffee & Blueberry. 1573 Baijiu, Pineapple & Passion Fruit. Beat the heat with baijiu ice lollies! And check out a video on Cream Story here.
Over the years, Shenzhen gelato specialists Cream Story have featured a handful of baijiu-inspired gelatos for World Baijiu Day, including a regular menu item that includes Moutai. (Check out the Q&8 I did with owners Zhang Si and Tommaso.)
SHENZHEN
Sanyou
Prinsepia utilis Royle!? Had to look up that ingredient, part of a new cocktail called Baijiu Concerto that will launch at both the Sanyou bars in Guangzhou and Shenzhen on World Baijiu Day.
Per several science journals, it is an oil-yielding shrub found 1000 meters and up in the Himalayan mountains and used in Chinese and Indian folk medicines. See the recipe for that concoction, plus a second one featuring 10-year-old yellow wine and baijiu, in this video.
And kudos to Sanyou, a supporter for many years of World Baijiu Day, which marks its tenth anniversary on Friday.
SHENZHEN
Cream Story
Baijiu popsicles! Enjoy three flavors at all Cream Story shops in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu from August 9 to August 31.
Xifeng Baijiu, Peach & Lemon. Moutai, Coffee & Blueberry. 1573 Baijiu, Pineapple & Passion Fruit. Beat the heat with baijiu ice lollies! And check out a video on Cream Story here.
STOCKHOLM
Stikki Nikki & Lu Spirits
Get ready for ‘baijiulato.” The name given by Ludwig Saaf to the delicious baijiu and gelato combos created by Stockholm-based gelato chain Sticky Nikki for World Baijiu Day.
Lu, who imports Chinese spirits, wines and beers through his company Lu Spirits, has spearheaded this initiative since 2018.
Lychee and yuzu with baijiu Luzhou Laojiao. Coconut with baijiu Shui Jing Fang Scholar. Brown butter and orange with baijiu Beijing Red Star. These flavors and more have all featured over the years.
Follow Lu Spirits and Stikki Nikki for more details.
STOCKHOLM
R.Asia & Lu Spirits
Ludvig Saaf’s annual baijiu banquet has become a signature event, one he describes as “most decadent, intoxicating and absolutely lavish.”
True to form, this year’s banquet at R. Asia in Solno promises to MI be a blast, with 20 courses and a “river of baijiu” aka “drinks to make the knees of the people of Valhalla tremble.”
(Sounds like you might want to have the next day off work!)
Seats are 1495 kr per person, and are much sought after, so RSVP with Saaf ASAP.
SYDNEY
Grain Cocktail Bar
Last year, Good Spirits and Grain Cocktail Bar marked World Baijiu Da from August 7 to August 12.
The current menu lists the cocktail Heart of the Garden, with Roku gin, Yuzushu, St. Germain, baiiju and lychee.
TORONTO
HONG SHING
Last WBD, new baijiu bar Hong Shing in Toronto featured shots and cocktails on August 9.
“We took over six months of R&D, wanting to learn more about baijiu, from distillation to flavour profiles,” said owner Colin Li in an email then. “We traveled all over Asia, being inspired by the top 50 bars in the world.”
The bar had just released its first baijiu menu, with eight signature cocktails, including ‘Shiitake Happens’, a mix of mushroom-infused Jiang Xiao Bai baijiu, brown butter and Junmai Sake, and the ‘Shanghattan’, with Luzhou Laojiao baijiu, D.O.M. Benedictine, Seedlip Grove 42 and Angostura bitters.
More about Hong Shing here.
VANCOUVER
Laowai
Secluded within BLND TGR restaurant, Laowai is a speakeasy “inspired by the illicit extravagance of 1920s Shanghai.” In other words, with a history. Or, rather, many histories, with each cocktail tied to a colorful character from China’s past, ranging from mobsters and real estate moguls to expelled princesses and pirates, including the most famous, Koxinga.
Baijiu has featured in cocktails like Jar of Dirt, along with Genever, ginkgo nut orgeat, lime juice and more,and in Incarnadine Seas, with blood orange and lychee tea baijiu sailing alongside Giffard Chocolate, clarified lemon juice, apple cordial and egg white.
Breakfast of Champions features Beijing’s favorite baijiu, Erguotou, plus Cointreau, Odd Society Bittersweet Vermouth, Taboo Genuine Absinthe and Scrappy’s Orleans Bitters.
Check out the menu, and all of those colorful characters, here.
WASHINGTON
Tiger Fork
Baijiu cocktails in the U.S. capital: Tiger Fork not only has plenty of tasty fare, ranging from chili wontons to char sui to Beijing duck, but also a pair of baijiu cocktails.
Sozin’s Comet teams baijiu with lemon, herbal liqueur and more while Sneaky Link has two potent boozes — baijiu and mezcal — collaborating with lychee, lemon and spiced honey. See the menus and venue details here.
YANTAI
Spring Bank
Set in a picturesque coastal town in Shandong province and involving long-time WBD supporter Steve Wang, craft spirits bar Spring Bank stocks niche gins and whiskies, vinyl records and hand-rolled cigarette supplies. It will also once again join World Baijiu Day with some special cocktails, with experiments already under way. Check out this video to see one of this year’s concoctions.
Follow World Baijiu Day on Instagram here and Facebook here.