![]() ![]() Best of all, the bartenders are genuinely affable, and passionate about sharing their geeky love of China’s prized drink. The cards include a helpful overview of flavor notes that might be found in each sip, which encourages drinkers to sip more attentively, rather than scrambling to stomach the stinging drink. But the speakeasy space ensures an intimate experience, making it a perfect setting to get familiar with a liquor that can take some time to warm up to.Ĭapital Spirits’ baijiu flight is a great introduction, and the staff's commitment to educating patrons comes through in the bilingual index-sized cards presented with the flights, which start at a minimum of four thimbles, and for the truly ambitious, go up to twelve. Thus, signage for Capital Spirits is discreet, and one has to buzz an intercom to get inside. ![]() Operating out of converted hutong residences (narrow alleyways in residential areas) can be a precarious affair, due to periodic changes in licensing policy, and/or the proclivity of neighbors to try and eject a business. The " world’s first bar dedicated to Baijiu and craft liquor" has a cool, welcoming vibe-once you find it, that is. To get a different kind of introduction to this fiery tipple, stop in to Capital Spirits. If culinary culture and history is of interest, it’s worth the trip.) For a baijiu primer, hit up Capital Spirits. While, unfortunately, most of the signage is solely in Mandarin, there are self-explanatory dioramas and artifacts. To learn a bit more about the earliest days of its production, up to modern times, visit the Beijing Erguotou Museum in the Qianmen district. (Pro Tip: Red Star has been around for as long as Beijing has been a capital (about 800 years), so its development is intimately tied to the development of the city. A blue-collar friendly brand, its distinctive green glass bottle can be spotted in the front basket of rickshaw bicycle drivers all over. It is eye-poppingly cheap at less than $2 USD per bottle, and packs a heavy punch at 60 percent ABV. ![]() The most popular brand of erguotou, Red Star, is native to Beijing. Getty Images When in Beijing, drink Red Star.įor Beijing, the most popular type of baijiu is made from sorghum and goes through two distillations this class of baijiu is called erguotou (pronounced ‘ar-gwo-toe’ and literally meaning “top of the second pot”). (In comparison, rum or vodka typically clock in at 40 percent.)īaijius come in all different flavors. It is sipped like a shot, but using a smaller amount that’s likely due to many bottles' dizzyingly high alcohol content, which averages around 50-65 percent ABV. The sweetly diminutive glasses typically used to serve the drink give a hint as to how to consume it-in tight proportions, with gusto. The first thing you notice about baijiu is the smell it doesn’t beckon a taste the way rum or tequila might. Here, a brief intro to baijiu, as well as how to experience it on your next trip to Beijing. Lately, the spirit has been popping up abroad, from London to New York, while also evolving and taking on new iterations back home. (Allegedly, even the baijiu bought outside China is bought mostly by Chinese people capturing discounted prices at duty-free kiosks.) But that could all be about to change. However, outside of China, the dynamite-in-a-bottle booze remains mostly a novelty. Seattle Resurrected the Last Word Cocktail. ![]()
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