February 12 marks the start of the Lunar New Year, one of the most important holidays on the calendar across the world. Celebrate the Year of the Ox with this festive Chinese New Year Martini made with fiery ginger, earthy green tea, and a refined baijiu—a traditional Chinese spirit that’s now available around the world.
Distilled from sorghum, wheat, rice or corn, baijiu may still be growing in popularity in the West, but it’s already the most-consumed spirit in the world. “Baiju is the national drink of China, enjoyed throughout the year and also on special occasions,” says Qiqi Chen, Managing Director of Cheng International, which exports premium Chinese baijiu across Europe. “At Chinese New Year, baijiu is a key part of the celebrations and traditionally used to toast best wishes for the year ahead.”
For this Chinese New Year cocktail, Chen recommends using China’s oldest and most premium brand of baijiu, the “light aroma” Fenjiu, which is thought to be one of the finest examples of the spirit with a distinct and delicate style of its own.
“Fenjiu is the oldest baijiu in existence,” says Chen. “It comes from Xinghua Village in the North Western Shanxi Province of China, where it has been made for 6,000 years.” Using organic sorghum and pure spring water, Fenjiu is still crafted using traditional methods and the original recipe—“albeit now with the aid of the latest technology,” says Chen. To ensure purity and consistency, the sprit is double fermented and double distilled. Fenjiu is then aged from five to thirty years before its bottled. You can find Fenjiu in ten-year-old, twenty-year-old, and thirty-year-old varieties, as well as special limited editions, though for this cocktail Fenjiu’s Qinghua Blue Flower 20 Year Old works best.
Thanks to its long history, Fenjiu has a deep cultural to China and even a poignant connection with the ox. Chen says: “[Fenjiu is] featured in one of China’s most famous and historical poems, which all Chinese literature students learn. Written by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu, the poem describes a shepherd boy sitting on an ox, pointing towards Xinghua village where refreshment can be found.”
You too can find refreshment care of Fenjiu, with this Chinese New Year cocktail:
Fenjiu Chinese New Year Martini
Ingredients:
20ml Fenjiu Qinghua Blue Flower 20 Year Old Baijiu
50ml Vodka
20ml Dry vermouth infused with fresh ginger and green tea
2 drops of orange bitters
Method:
Stir the ingredients together and strain into a coupette glass. Garnish with lemon zest.
Gong xi fa cai!
編輯：Frida Xu
