BALTIMORE
NIHAO
Baltimore reaches World Baijiu Day this year thanks to NiHao! Bar manager Ashley Mac stocks two dozen-plus baijiu brands and has at least four baijiu cocktails available on any given night. NiHao has also hosted everything from a baijiu cocktail contest to baijiu master classes to guest shifts by bartenders. And will celebrate World Baijiu Day on August 10 with a baijiu class. The event includes a welcome cocktail, six menu items and five baijiu samples for $80. Entry starts at 5:30 PM with the class kicking off at 5:45 PM. RSVP via https://www.exploretock.com/NIHAO.
BANSKO
World Baijiu Day is back in Bansko, a popular resort town near the Pirin Mountains and well-known for its skiing. It’s also a popular summer retreat. Moutai Bulgaria will be celebrating World Baijiu Day during the Bansko International Jazz Festival, where it will be participating from August 6 to August 13. More details to come.
BEIJING
BURGE’S BISTRO & BAR
Burge’s will feature White Rabbit shots, a trio of baijiu cocktails and the first zero-alcohol baijiu–from Lyre’s–which could be a game-changer for those ganbei evenings. The cocktails, organized by bartender Allen Zhang, included the Baijiu Tonic, the Beijing Beijing 1.0 with oolong, osmanthus, lemon and more, and the Beijing Beijing 2.0 with pear, cinnamon, lemon, egg white and soda water. Buy a cocktail and get a White Rabbit shot and a Lyre’s shot while supplies last. (Given there are several liters, they should last a while.) 8 PM to 11 PM at Burge’s. Much appreciated if you give a heads up to ‘beijingboyce’ on WeChat if you intend to attend.
BAIJIU DINNER
Look for a post-World Baijiu Day wrap-up dinner. In 2021, the dinner was held at Jing-A Brewing and featured three baijiu aroma styles–strong, sauce and light–paired with six craft beers, from fruity sours to hoppy IPAs, and six dishes. In 2020, comfort food specialists The Rug Cafe hosted a guided tasting by boutique producer Guanyun that covered four baijiu styles, followed by a pairing dinner with five fusion dishes from The Rug, such as sous vide pork with soba noodles and a pearl milk tea-based dessert. More details on the 2022 WBD wrap dinner soon.
ZHAZHA BISTRO
Frozen baijiu balls! This cool treat is featured by Zhazha Bistro in Beijing, using flavored mijiu–rice aroma-style baijiu–and priced at CNY58 / USD8.6 per serving. Given this city’s sweltering weather, this will be a nice source of relief on World Baijiu Day.
BOSTON
BOSTON BAIJIU BAR
Nick Lappen has built a steady following since opening Boston Baijiu Bar in a small space inside Backbar just under a year ago, presenting customers with a rotating list of baijiu cocktails and tasting flights. Look for fun on World Baijiu Day, too: details to come. In the meantime, see this recent Q&8 re Lappen’s first experience with baijiu, tips for home bartenders using this spirit and his favorite cocktail creation so far.
BUENOS AIRES
HARAKIRE DE UNA
Nicolas Constantin is the rare person who has hosted World Baiji Day events on two continents. This globe-trotting bartender first participated in 2017 in Buenos Aires, then did events in 2018 and 2019 in Spain, before returning to Buenos Aires again.
This year, Constantin will host a World Baijiu Day event at Harakiri de Una, where he will give a free primer on baijiu and, for those paying a fee, present baijiu flights. The event starts at 7 PM on August 9: see here to RSVP / contact Nicolas. Address: Honduras 4756, Palermo, Buenos Aires.
Harakiri de Una will also list baijiu-inspired cocktails by resident bartender Nicolas Sustersich for World Baijiu Day and afterward, while stocks last. Those include the BaiHigh, a baijiu highball, and the Baijiu Omakase. Follow here on Instagram. See the official site for more details.
MILION
During the week of World Baijiu Day, enjoy baijiu-inspired cocktails by Alex Hassan, resident bartender at Milion. Check out the Bloody MeiMei aka the Baijiu Bloody Mary. You can find Milion at Parana 1048, Downtown, CABA. Open daily from 8 PM. (Hat tip Nicolas Constantin)
MALASANGRE
Malasangre is among the Buenos Aires hotspots to participate in World Baijiu Day this year. During the week of WBD, enjoy baijiu-inspired cocktails by resident bartender Ramiro Monteagudo. Get your fill at Av. Cramer 2704, Belgrano, CABA — open daily from 6 PM. (Hat tip Nicolas Constantin)
CHINTONERIA
Located close to Chinatown in Buenos Aires, the vibrantly colorful Chintoneria is joining World Baijiu Day for the first time. Expect baiju-inspired cocktails by resident bartender Pablo Pignatta during WBD week. Chintoneria is at Echeverría 1677, Belgrano, CABA and is open from 6 PM, Tuesdays through Sundays. (Hat tip Nicolas Constantin)
CAMBRIDGE
Sumiao Hunan Kitchen has supported World Baijiu Day for many years, including specials like Sizzling Baijiu Shrimp and Beijing Berry Fizz cocktails. For WBD 2022, try a pair of Sumiao concoctions: Fung Wah 芳华 (photo), which means “youth”, includes sesame baijiu, peaty Scotch, chrysanthemum, honey, ginger and lemon, while Baijiu Blast 白酒浪 features baijiu, gin, green tea, Midori, pineapple and lime. Enjoy these with the Hunan dishes in which Sumiao specializes. More about Sumiao here and here.
CHRISTCHURCH
GIN GIN
New Zealand baijiu brand Taizi and Glenn Schuitman, who hosted our first major World Baijiu Day bash in 2015 in Beijing and is now back home in Christchurch, have long supported WBD. Look for them to catch the spirit this year with a follow-up to 2021’s event at cocktail bar gin gin, with bartender / owner Luke Dawkins.
For $10, you get entry to the event, a taste of Taizi, a casual overview of baijiu and Taizi by the hosts starting around 6:30 PM to 7 PM, and intermittent shared-plates of steaming hot dumplings courtesy of Formosa Foods. There will also be a special list of three baijiu cocktails created by the gin gin team at only $12 each.
And for those still hanging around after 9 PM, a group will head to one of of Christchurch’s renowned late-night Chinese food joints to pair some baijiu with hearty Asian fare, and continue the World Baijiu Day celebrations. See here for the full event details.
DUBLIN
MOUTAI IRELAND x MARTIN’S
Moutai Ireland will get into the spirit of World Baijiu Day with a series of activities. Once again, Moutai Ireland will partner with Martin’s Off Licence on a window display with Chinese-style decorations and Moutai products, where baijiu fans can talk a selfie.
There will also be a Moutai tasting from 5 PM to 8 PM on August 12 featuring two premium products–Moutai Flying Fairy and Moutai Prince.
And Moutai Ireland is giving away a bottle of Moutai Prince and a Chinese liquor glass set. To join, just follow Moutai Ireland’s World Baijiu Day giveaway post, then follow the @moutai_ireland and @martinsofflicence accounts, and tag a friend in the comments. The contest ends at midnight on August 7, with the winner picked on August 9 and presented with the prize during the tasting on August 12. See full details here.
GUANGZHOU
SANYOU
Look for baijiu bar SanYou, by the same team behind Hope & Sesame and Charlie’s, to offer lots of fun for World Baijiu Day. More about this establishment here. And check out my Q&8 with Hope & Sesame co-founder Bastien Ciocca here.
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON
Chocolate! Make that double chocolate at DoubleTree by Hilton in Guangzhou, which will celebrate World Baijiu Day this year with a pair of boozy treats. Guests can try baijiu-inspired light chocolate and dark chocolate at 元8 per piece or 元58 for a nine-pack. Get yours on the first floor between 4 PM to 7:30 PM on August 9. DoubleTree Hilton, among the original supporters of World Baijiu Day in 2015, will also feature a pair of baijiu cocktails throughout August–see the poster below for details.
HAMBURG
WISDOM EXPRESS x NI HAO
Wisdom Express, representative of Moutai in Germany, has held a series of fun World Baijiu Day events at Hamburg venues and this time it will be at the restaurant Ni Hao with a Moutai-inspired menu from July 29 to August 11 | Ni Hao wird vom 29. Juli bis zum 11. August ein exklusives Menü im Moutai Stil anbieten. See more details here.
KUNMING
DADA
The sibling to electronic music clubs Dada in Beijing and Shanghai is once again on board for WBD. Details to come.
LAUNCESTON
SANYOU x BARREL COLLECTIVE
Join distillery Sanyou for a fun baijiu tasting at The Barrel Collective on August 9. Each ticket includes a welcome cocktail and a tasting of Sanyou baijiu, including a barrel-aged and fruit-infused versions, plus the story of baijiu and how Sanyou is making it in Tasmania. The event is from 8 PM to 9:30 PM. Tickets are $20 and limited so book yours ASPA via this link.
Also check out this Q&8 with Ian Sypkes, who co-founded Sanyou with Tim Ye and Chris De Bono, about combining traditional fermentation methods associated with Chinese baijiu and ingredients sourced from Australia, experiences barrel-aging baijiu, and more.
LIMA
CHIFA TITI
The El Brujo cocktail, a delicious mix of fruit “shrubs”, blood orange soda and erguotou, links Lima and Beijing and is a fun part of World Baijiu Day history.
This cocktail first featured at former Peruvian restaurant Pachapapi in Beijing: co-owner Francisco Chia was a classmate of Jorge Chung, owner of some of Lima’s most popular bars and restaurants, including El Infusionista. That venue’s executive bartender Alexander Holender visited Beijing where he ultimately created both the El Brujo and another baijiu-inspired drink called the Alpa-Chino. And in 2019 the circle was completed as the El Brujo was featured for World Baijiu Day in both Beijing and Lima. In 2019, those celebrating WBD can still find it at Chifa Titi!
LIVERPOOL
LU BAN
This Liverpool-based Chinese restaurant, inspired by the cuisine from the city of Tianjin, gets its name from a revered inventor and builder from 2500 years ago. Lu Ban’s menu included several baijiu-inspired cocktails on its menu, including the Kung Fu Panda pictured above. While Lu Ban won’t be open on World Baijiu Day proper this year, which falls on a Tuesday, customers can celebrate from Thursday to Sunday each week. More details to come.
LOS ANGELES
PEKING TAVERN
Peking Tavern has been a go-to place for World Baijiu Day since early days. In fact, it was one of the very first venues to participate and over the years featured a cocktail contest by customer bartenders, lots of drink options and food pairings. This year you can pop by and check out the WongChiu Punch cocktail, with baijiu, hibiscus liqueur and fresh lemon. See the menu here.
MARSEILLES
TBA
Guillaume Ferroni has spearheaded World Baijiu Day activities in Marseilles over the years, at venues such as Carry Nation, including a menu of Silk Road-inspired cocktails, and Bar Dans Les Arbres, where customers could enjoy a baijiu punch among the trees. Details soon on this year’s plans!
MELBOURNE
Golden Monkey
Golden Monkey is a World Baijiu Day original, featuring everything from spins on classics like the Baijiu Iced Tea to new creations such as Secret of the Golden Flower. If you are looking for baijiu on World Baijiu Day, pop into Golden Monkey.
PORTLAND
DANWEI
Danwei Canting aka “The Work Unit Restaurant” has featured baiju cocktails as well as baijiu and food pairings over the years, often including locally made spirit, VINN. Details to come for 2022!
SAN MARINO
San Marino was the most unexpected World Baijiu Day site last year as Ristorante il Piccolo featured a baijiu-inspired piadina, the most famous flatbread / sandwich in the country, which is encircled by Italy and has fewer than 35,000 citizens. Moutai was used for cooking ham for the piadina–with the spirit available as a pairing. More details here. Expect a repeat of this baijiu-inspired dish this year.
SHANGHAI
DADA
The electronic music club with baijiu cocktails! Dada will feature three baijiu cocktails on August 9 as part of World Baijiu Day celebrations. That trio includes long-time favorite ‘Chinglish’, which featured way back during WBD2015. Get yours from 9 PM to 1 AM.
BAI8 x TACOLICIOUS
Newish baijiu brand 白8, which combines light aroma baijiu from Zhejiang and botanicals from around China, teamed up with a trio of venues last year, including: J Boroski, Tacolicious and Dusk Till Dawn. his year Bai8 is back at Tacolicious with bartender Logan Browse making some Saka’s Spritzes — a recipe that features baijiu baijiu, Aperol, lemon, rose and raspberry — on August 9.
SHENZHEN
COMPASS
Compass by Curator has long concocted compelling cocktails, including those inspired by baijiu, raning from a Baijiu Sour with plenty of jasmine influence to a Bai-Jito that gets zip from flavors like elderflower, passion fruit and peppermint to Look Into My Smokey Bais, which sounds intriguing with items such as yellow Chartreuse, Luxardo cherry liqueur and single malt. More details on the 2022 agenda soon.
CREAM STORY
Baijiu-inspired ice cream and gelato has been a part of World Baijiu Day since the beginning — see here, here and here — and Cream Story is using some elite booze for their version. They are preparing a set of new flavours to be made on World Baijiu Day: Moutai milk gelato, Moutai chocolate gelato, 1573 Coconut gelato, Xifeng Peach sorbet and Fenjiu Tiramisu gelato. Check it out! And check out this Q&8 that I did with Cream Story’s Zhang Si and Tommaso.
SANYOU
Shenzhen is home to the second branch of baijiu cocktail bar SanYou, which got its start in Guangzhou. Expect the same high-quality drinks and attention to detail but with the twist of incorporating even more locally made alcohols, as explained in this recent Q&8 with co-founder Bastien Ciocca. Check it out–and also check out SanYou for World Baijiu Day fun.
SINGAPORE
DRAGON CHAMBER
Veteran baijiu cocktail creator and contest judge Isz Valentino has hosted WBD events at The Dragon Chamber these past few years, including some of his own recipes, like The White Spirit of Manchu that includes Wuliangye baijiu, yuzu, pineapple, Blue Cointreau and two kinds of orange bitters. Expect more fun this year, notably shots, as well as an upcoming Q&8 with Valentino.
STOCKHOLM
LU SPIRITS
No one has been more active that Ludwig Saaf in World Baijiu Day over the years, doing everything from creating a trio of gelatos with Stikki Nikki to working on baijiu-inspired cocktails at bars to hosting an annual baijiu dinner. Details for WBD 2022 are coming but you can always find baijiu at Lu’s partners such as Surfers, ranging from cocktails — The Red Guard includes baijiu, basil, strawberry syrup and clarified lemon– to baijiu brands like Luzhou Laojiao, Fenjiu and RedStar.
SYDNEY
GOOD SPIRITS x FORTUNE VILLAGE
Good Spirits is teaming up with Fortune Village, one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in Sydney, for World Baijiu Day this year. Enjoy a tasting of Good Spirit’s brand Australian Baijiu with some mouthwatering dishes at Fortune Village from 6:30 PM to 9 PM on August 9.
Fortune Village is a family-owned second-generation Chinese restaurant established in Sydney 1981. Good Spirits was established in 2018 in Sydney and makes Australian Baijiu using local grains and water.
TIANJIN
WE BREWERY
Steve Wang of WE Brewery has ranked among the biggest World Baijiu Day supporters over the years, as an organizer of events in both his hometown of Tianjin and, for two years, his adopted home of Minsk. This year Wang says he will be in Tianjin and pairing a series of baijiu tinctures with his craft beers.
YANTAI
SPRING BANK
Set in a picturesque coastal town in Shandong province, craft gin and tonic bar Spring Bank has changed venues since next year, but is planning to once again join WBD as usual. Check out the new digs and the baijiu cocktails on August 9.