BAIJIU 白酒 [pronounced bye-j’yo] Baijiu is the world’s most popular catego- SICHUAN BAIJIU – also known as STRONG-AROMA BAIJIU – MEANS “WHITE SPIRITS” IN CHINESE. ry of spirits, consumed more than whis- is the most key and vodka combined. popular style. IT IS A DIVERSE DRINKS CATEGORY Most baijiu is distilled from SORGHUM, Baijiu is TRADITIONALLY CONSUMED THAT INCLUDES ALL TRADITIONAL but DIFFERENT STYLES OF BAIJIU NEAT alongside food. In cocktails, it opens CHINESE GRAIN SPIRITS. can be as distinct as whiskey is to tequila. a world of new tastes and possibilities. MING RIVER TASTING NOTES
MING RIVER SICHUAN BAIJIU: FLAVOR TASTE TRADITION Pineapple, anise, spicy pink peppercorn and dried hay. The ORIGINAL SICHUAN BAIJIU is Has a long, mellow and made using continuous fermentation and earthy finish. distillation techniques that began in 1324. It is produced at the LUZHOU LAOJIAO AROMA DISTILLERY using only sorghum, water Green apple peel and and wild yeast cultures. tropical fruit—papaya, guava and melon. Sichuan style baijiu was invented in the city of Luzhou in Sichuan Province. Luzhou Laojiao 泸州老窖 is the OLDEST CONTINUALLY OPERATING DIS- TILLERY in China, producing baijiu SINCE 1573.
Ming River is 45% ABV, and can be BEIJING consumed neat or mixed in a cocktail. Beijing
Shanghai
SICHUAN
Hongkong THE PROCESS The qu is mixed with steamed The secret RED SORGHUM grains. A GOOD DRINK TAKES TIME. ingredient in baijiu is Our baijiu uses sorghum grain fermented with wild yeast for two to three months in earth- QU [chew], en pits. Most mash is recycled into the next batch with fresh grain to develop distinctive a naturally harvested flavors over time. culture of wild yeasts THE OLDER THE PIT, THE BETTER THE FLAVOR. and other micro- Like a seasoned pan, the pit takes on flavor from repeated use. Our oldest pits were created organisms. in 1573. And 1,619 of our pits are at least a century old. No other distillery can create baijiu of such complexity. The mash ferments as a solid in EARTHEN PITS for up to three months.
The mash is batch-distilled in a traditional CHINESE POT-STILL.
AGE The distillates Our baijiu is rested for at Master
in terracotta and steel for least two to three years. blender AT LEAST TWO YEARS. Zeng Na balances flavors to perfection. DRINKS A clear but decidedly non-neutral spirit, Ming River has a bold aroma and flavor similar to high-ester rums. It’s great in tiki drinks, bitter aperitivos and highballs. It can reinvigorate classic cocktail recipes with a touch of the indefinable.
GENERAL MING PAPER CRANE CHAIRMAN’S GRAPE SOUR PIG SICHUAN MULE MR. MING Christian Wu, Sign Lounge, Vienna David Putney, Capital Spirits, Beijing Phum Sila-Trakoon, Berlin Phum Sila-Trakoon, Berlin Phum Sila-Trakoon, Berlin Kai Wolschke, Goldfischbar, Berlin 30 ml Ming River Baijiu 30 ml Ming River Baijiu 50 ml Ming River Baijiu 50 ml Ming River Baijiu 40 ml Ming River Baijiu 40 ml Ming River Baijiu 30 ml Red Vermouth 30 ml Aperol 50 ml grape juice, red or white 20 ml Orange juice 20 ml Lime juice 20 ml Raspberry syrup Thomas Henry Tonic Water 30 ml Amaro Montenegro Thomas Henry Bitter Lemon 1 bar spoon Honey 40 ml Apple juice 25 ml Lemon juice 30 ml Lemon juice 30 ml Lime juice Thomas Henry Ginger Beer 50 ml Pineapple juice Build in glass over ice and top with Build in glass over ice and top with Bitter Pinch of Salt 20 ml Campari Tonic Water. Garnish with lemon twist. Lemon soda to taste. Garnish with Stir and strain into a tumbler. Thomas Henry Ultimate Grapefruit Build in glass over ice and top with 3 dashes Chocolate bitter Garnish with orange twist. lime wedges. Ginger Beer. Garnish with thyme Shake over ice and pour into a cocktail and pink peppercorn. Shake over ice. Pour into tiki mug glass. Top with grapefruit lemonade filled with crushed ice. Granish with and garnish with lime wheel. dehydrated lime and fresh mint. FOUNDER STORY We created MING RIVER to share something unmistakably WE’RE NOT BOOZE PEOPLE. WE’RE BAIJIU PEOPLE. Sichuanese with new audiences. It is a current that flows from Our team wrote the first English-language book about baijiu and we opened the world’s the Ming Dynasty to the present, from China to the world. first baijiu bar. What brought us together was the belief that Chinese spirits could trans- It reflects over twenty generations of technical ingenuity and form the way the world thinks about alcohol. a strong sense of place.
To realize this dream, we needed the right partner. The Luzhou Laojiao Distillery has an In Sichuan they don’t say, “Goodbye.” They say, “Go slowly.” unmatched history, and a long-standing commitment to innovation and quality. It was a Take your time. Ming River has taken centuries to arrive, match made in China. but it couldn’t come any sooner.
Ming River founders Bill Isler, Derek Sandhaus, and Matthias Heger (left); and Simon Dang (right).
Capital Spirits in Beijing, the world’s first baijiu cocktail bar and tasting room. Capital Spirits in Beijing. www.mingriver.com MING RIVER, INC [email protected] 81 PROSPECT STREET BROOKLYN, NY 11201 @mingriverbaijiu USA