Episode 152

To make the Good Fortune, you’ll need:

• 1.5oz Sichuan peppercorn-infused Ming River strong-aroma Baijiu

• 1/2oz Whiskey (and because the type of whiskey isn’t stipulated here, I’d recommend starting with something mild like Bourbon on Irish Whiskey and then work your way up to something more robust if you think the drink can handle it)

• 1oz Mango juice

• 1/2oz Lemon juice

• 3/4oz Clove syrup

Combine these ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously for about 15 seconds, then strain into a large rocks glass (often called a bucket glass in the tiki world) over crushed ice, and garnish with a fragrant bouquet of mint.

Now, for all our home bartenders listening, let’s talk about sourcing and prepping a few of these ingredients. For Sichuan peppercorns, mango juice, and whole cloves, I lean in two very different directions – you’re either gonna want to pick these up online via Amazon or another large online retailer, OR, if you happen to live near any international markets that specialize in global cuisine, you could probably pick up all three of these ingredients there.

A Couple More Notes on Process

To infuse your Ming River Baijiu with peppercorns…well, first you need your bottle, so

 head over to shopmingriver.com and order a bottle right to your doorstep if you live here in the US. With shipping, it’ll cost around $40, which is a great deal. Then, you’re going to want to throw just a small handful of your Sichuan peppercorns in the bottle overnight. If you taste the bottle the next day and you still want more flavor infused in there you can add some more and wait a little longer, but a light touch with infused spirits is important – otherwise you risk ruining the bottle if you get overzealous.

Next, onto the clove syrup. Similarly – you’re going to want to throw a small handful of whole cloves (not powdered) into your 1:1 sugar:water mixture on the stovetop, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Once, you’re approaching a simmer, go ahead and cut that heat and leave the lid on your sauce pan for an hour or two before you strain out the cloves and bottle your syrup for the fridge.

Show Notes

This is a rich conversation with a lot of moving parts. In it, we tackle the history, production methods, and cultural importance of Baijiiu, all of which branch into still other fascinating lines of inquiry. Below, we’ll provide links to some of the topics we discuss, as well as an extensive set of bullet points taken from a seminar that Derek conducted with the WSET (see embedded video below).

Here are some important links, as promised in the audio interview:

Related Episodes

• Episode 055 – The Shochu Episode – Interview with Taka Amano

• Episode 091 – Sake (Part I) & Episode 092 Sake (Part II) – Interviews with Lara Victoria

Links & References

• Photo of people perhaps operating a press while making Baijiu – cover photo of this Culinary Backstreets Article.

• The Luzhou Laojiao distillery has fermentation pits that have been in active production since 1573 – when SHAKESPEARE WAS 9 YEARS OLD. Wrap your head around that.

• Derek’s PUNCH.com article: Wine, Baijiu and the East-West Flavor Divide

• Sorting out the Confusion – Interview with Shannon Mustipher about Baijiu Cocktails.

• PDF of The Ming River Cocktail Book

Baijiu Crash Course

This summary was taken from a seminar in mid-2020 hosted by the WSET, wherein Derek presents a structured, hour long crash course on Baijiu production methods. You can review the bullet points below or simply enjoy the video here:

History

• 9000 years ago – evidence of fermented alcohol in China

• 2000 – 1000 BC – first use of “chu” – microorganism culture

• Became – “Hwan-Jo” – “yellow alcohol” – China’s predominant drink before distillation

• Baijiu is the largest spirits category in the world (8 Billion Liters) – way less than 1% leaves china

Post Distillation Treatment

• Baijiu batches are e stored after distillation in clay jars either buried underground or in humid caves to prevent evaporation.

• Cheap Baijiu is aged for 6 months to a year, but nicer Baijiu is aged for longer.

• This allows for oxidation, which helps to mellow some of the astringent flavors and aids in developing further esters and aldehydes.

• In the end, after aging, almost all modern Baijius are blended.

Main Baijiu Styles

• Rice style baijiu is usually fermented for the shortest amount of time and is the most accessible (mild) flavor. ABV is often lower. Comes from SE China

• Light aroma baijiu – Sorghum based. Dry, crisp, floral, herbaceous, dried fruit. Comes from the Beijing area. Similar to grappa or grassy Mezcal

• Strong aroma baijiu – Sorghum (or Sorghum blends). From SW China – uses continuous/pit fermentation. Fruity (pineapple, guava), floral (anise), and funky (cheesy, mushroomy).

• Sauce aroma baijiu – strange production process (8 different distillations, with no fresh Qu added during the last 4 distillations). Sesame, chocolate, caramel, mushroom, blue cheese. This omission of fresh Qu makes the final distillations more smoky and umami.

• Phoenix aroma baijiu – Sorghum based, fermented in mud pits, but uses the style of Qu used to make light aroma Baijiu. So it’s a fusion of strong and light aroma Baijiu that is then aged in funky ways (e.g. using wicker baskets instead of clay jars)

Baijiu Consumption

• Viewed as an accompaniment to food – served and enjoyed at meals

• Baijiu glasses are tiny – ⅓ to ½ oz because it’s such a high proof spirit.

• Host will make a toast at the beginning of the meal

• Say – “Ganbei” – which means dry the glass – hold the glass upside down to prove it was consumed.

• Toasting is reciprocal – if you are the recipient of a toast, you need to then toast that person.

• Because Baijiu is a regional spirit, the style of that region tends to really nicely complement their cuisine.

• Baijiu is also the subject of many folk medicinal infusions (with herbs, fruit, berries, roots, or even stranger stuff)

Context

• Baijiu is not one single spirit, but rather a family of spirits (12 officially recognized styles)

• Most are just sorghum, some are just rice, and the rest are largely a multigrain mix.

• Does the flavor of the base grain come through? Sometimes (with rice), but most people outside of Africa (where it comes from) can’t pull Sorghum out of a lineup.

Baijiu Production

• Qu (“Chu”) – a grain paste that is processed with water and then naturally inoculated with Mold, Yeast, and Bacteria

• Enzymes in mold convert starch into sugar, yeast eats the sugar, and then bacteria create esters and aldehydes.

• Different from whiskey in that:

1.) The starch conversion to sugar and the sugar conversion into alcohol occur at the same time.

2.) The mash is a solid, not a liquid

3.) The microorganisms around the production facility are unique to that area (terroir)

• Fermentation time can be anywhere from 4 days to several months and occurs in either stone jars or in large concrete or mud pits in the ground.

• Stills operate like mini column stills (even though they’re very short), and various little reflux baffles allow for continuous condensation and evaporation that help to concentrate the alcohol between 50% and 70% ABV.

• Distillation is a circular process in “Strong Aroma” Baijiu which creates a sort of solera mash. Within any given run, 80% of the grain in the run was used in the past distillation.