Week 5 in The Year of Drinking Adventurously!
This week’s adventurous choice is Baijiu -a Chinese spirit distilled from sorghum. Baijiu means “white liquor” and that is exactly what it is. Check out the pretty bottle:
I hate that they Americanized the name! Actually, I’m not entirely sure this is authentic baijiu, but it was the best I could come up with. So as you can tell, I didn’t overindulge in the baijiu. In fact, I made one cocktail with it: a strawberry-lime slushy thing that would have been better suited to a summer day than a winter evening.
Did I mention I had to order it online? Pennsylvania has some frustrating liquor laws, let me tell you. And, I’m learning that the internet is extremely unreliable for finding places that sell these unusual alcohols. Remember how I couldn’t find Japanese whiskey last week? My friend Rachel found it in a liquor store in the Allentown area. That’s an easy drive from my house. Grrr…
Anyway, Baijiu… Listen to the description on the side of the bottle:
Mischievous, mysterious, seductive, sensual, sizzling, spicy, smooth, enticing, surprising, tantalizing.
Sounds naughty! What does it taste like, you ask? I did take a little sip of it by itself. It’s hard to describe. Sorghum, a member of the grass family, is the main grain used to make a mash from which the spirit is distilled. Actually, that’s a huge simplification. Other grains go into the distillation process as well, which, according to Jeff’s book:
is a really long and complicated affair.
The baijiu I bought is infused with dragon fruit, lychee, and hot chiles, which gives it a fruity, spicy, floral background taste. (Another clue that this is isn’t the real deal!) It’s often consumed as a shot and at 70 proof, this stuff is totally shootable. I might end up drinking it that way or on the rocks. Maybe it will make me seductive and sensual! Pfffft! I may just sneak it into my girlfriends’ drinks in lieu of rum or tequila. You can’t tell the difference under grenadine and pineapple juice.
These exotic alcohols are killing me. Next week is another entry from China. You might end up having to hear about the beer brewing experience after all! Batch one, a Belgian Blonde Ale, is finished fermenting and ready to be kegged! The English Ale from the day of the blizzard is up next.
Don’t forget to check in with Lula and see how she liked the baijiu!
Meg Sorick, Author/Artist 
This sounds very interesting! I’ll see if I can locate a bottle this weekend. For scientific research, of course. 😉
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Of course! 😀 I hope you can find it. Let me know how you liked it. Cheers!
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Hmm, interesting stuff.
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It’s not like anything else I’ve ever had before.
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I whole heartedly support next week as a lesson in beer brewing!
I also love the idea of making tiki cocktails with this. To beat the winter blah’s I’m hosting a tiki party next week. I wish you could bring this 🍹
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That’s awesome! I wish I could bring it too!
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I’m not sure this liquor is in my tastes. But the beer for next time? Definitely! Yay beer.
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I know! I’m a beer girl too!
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Sounds very interesting, I like the description! And from what I read it feels dry – is it?
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Yes but slightly floral!
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I don’t know whether to go hunt down a bottle or run for the hills!
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Ooo, do try it! And let me know what you think!
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Cool bottle. I have retired from those days of drinking adventurously but it sounds like an experiment worth investigating for those imbibing. (Pennsylvania has some frustrating laws indeed…alcohol or otherwise!)
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They do! I’m actually quite moderate in my habits, just adventurous in my selections!
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I’m happy to track down ingredients in our neck of the woods and send them your way. Just let me know! Heck, we’ve got a neighbor that brews the most amazing beer in his basement. Actually, he got so good at it he opened a brewery around the corner. No joke! xo 😉
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Wow! That’s really cool! Our friend George is an excellent home brewer, too. We always joke that he should open the brewery and we could make the pizza for him! It’s funny, you would think it would be easy enough to find this stuff in my area. I’m just outside Philadelphia. It’s not like I’m in the boon docks!
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Yes, Pennsylvania does have some ridiculous liquor laws. I actually wrote a post making fun of Pennsylvania and one of my points and it was about the ridiculous liquor laws. I’m not sure where you find the liquors that you come up with and I’m not sure I can even find this one in New York, but I may try.
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There’s a lot to make fun of here in Pennsylvania! Like all the different accents in the 4 corners of the state. And Scranton – that’s a whole post of its own!
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I just wrote a really long comment. I don’t see it here though. Did you get it? Is it in moderation?
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About liquor laws? yes its here!
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When exactly did the writer of the description on the side of the bottle meet you?
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Aw! Blushing! You’re too sweet!
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