National Drink of China | Symbols of China

Baijiu Consider As The Unofficial National Drink Of China. It Is Usually Called” White Wine”. But It Has Incredibly Strong Spirit About 40–60% Alcohol by Volume. Baijiu has been made in China for more than 5,000 years. It Is Made By The Brewing and Distillation of Sorghum, Rice, Wheat or Other Grains. It is one of the world’s most popular drinks.

Each year, roughly 10 billion liters of it is produced and consumed. That much baijiu would take an hour to slosh over Niagara Falls and weigh as much as 1,000 Eiffel Towers, says Jim Boyce, a Beijing drinks blogger who launched the August 9 World Baijiu Day several years ago. It is one of the world’s most diverse drinks and, for adventuresome tipplers, one of the most rewarding. A consumer can sometimes move from apprehension to grudging acceptance to appreciation in a single sitting.

What is Baijiu?

Baijiu, pronounced “buy-joe” means “white” or “clear alcohol” and is distilled mainly from sorghum, but rice, wheat, barley, millet, or a mixture of cereals also are used. Baijiu is in fact an eclectic category of traditional Chinese spirits that includes at least a dozen unique drinks. This is also what makes baijiu great for new drinkers: Its variety is endless, and there are products within the category suitable for almost every taste.

There are many different kinds of baijiu’s. Baijiu is not a singular kind of drink, but rather, a whole class of liquors. There are four widely recognized flavor types: rice, light, strong, and sauce. However, beyond this, there is a wide spectrum of flavors from floral and fruity, to savory and spiced.

For 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”). The most popular brand of erguotou, Red Star, is native to Beijing.