When you order a drink in China, asking for whiskey may not get you whiskey. Pina coladas and mojitos are your favourite beverages? You may be swapping them for white liquor and rice wine when you come to China! The drinking culture of China is slightly different to that of the West. How so? Read on!
You may be surprised at the wide variety of liquor and wines available in China. It’s not all long islands and tequila shots. Here are a few of the more popular alcoholic drinks in China.
Literally translated as white liquor, is China’s national alcohol. Distilled from sorghum beans, it generally has about 40 to 60% alcohol content. While regular types can be inexpensive, the higher grades of baijiuare aged for many yearsand can be sold for extremely high prices. The most expensive bottle sold was a Moutai brand, at 1.26 million RMB (over 150,000 EUR). Baijiu is often translated wrongly into ‘white wine’, which is in actual fact 白葡萄酒 (bái pútáojiǔ). So make sure you know which one you are ordering at the bar!
Is exactly as the name sounds- wine made from rice. The wine is less alcoholic, at 12-20%, and the whole rice grains at the bottom of the jar can be consumed after you have drunk the wine itself. Clear and somewhat sweet, rice wine can be taken alongside food and it is also used in desserts and cooking.
Actually varies in colour between beige, yellowish brown and reddish brown. The water used in the brewing process is usually taken from high quality water sources, owing to the differences in grades of huangjiu. Less than 20% alcohol, yellow wine types range in dryness and sweetness. It is also believed to have medicinal properties and so drunk warm to combat moisture 湿气 (shīqì) from the body.
Has been brewed in China for thousands of years, but it was not until the 19th century when modern beer brewing was introduced, that it grew in popularity. Tsingtao and Snow beer are the most popular beers in China, and they are light and mild compared to their German counterparts, complimenting Chinese dishes well!
Intake in China has increased 136% in the last 5 years along with the increasing westernisation of the country (http://bit.ly/1gt8kmN). Its popularity has be en suggested due to its colour; red is considered lucky in China and a symbolism of wealth, power and luck.The consumption of red wine is also seen to be fashionable, with big-city earners as a result of the economic boom, being able to more easily afford imported alcohol.
Drinking alcohol is a vital part of Chinese custom and culture. Those from northern China actually consider drinking and friendship the same thing because during business dinners for example, drinking can lead to friendship, sealing deals and developing better work relationships. Every shot of baijiu brings the business partners a little closer and so drinking is seen as a supplementary part of the working life.
Drinking to cement relationships has a long history in china. Famous poets like 李白 (Lǐbái), have also praised alcohol multiple times in his poems, with one famous saying: 酒逢知己千杯少 (jiǔ féng zhī jǐ qiān bēi shǎo); “When one drinks with a friend, a thousand cups are not enough” . Of course, LiBai is talking about the 盅 (zhōng), which are the small cups traditionally used when drinking in China, but it emphasises the importance of alcohol and relationships!
While in Western countries you simply clink and drink, in China there are a few more rules for drinking, whereby the most important rule is to give face. If you want to toast an important host or guest, be sure to take note of our guidelines:
• The first toast : If you are the guest, you shouldn’t initiate the very first toast as this is seen as impolite. It should always be made by the main host.
• To clink or not to clink: If the party is big and the table is wide, people usually prefer to clink glasses. But to show respect, make sure that the brink of your glass is lower than theirs . When the glasses clink, you’ll have to干杯 gānbēi , meaning literally ‘dry the cup’, or ‘bottoms up’. If your glasses don’t clink and only touch the other person’s cup with your fingers, you signal 随意 (suíyì), or ‘as you wish’, and you can drink whatever amount you want.
• Respectful toast: When you are offering to toast 敬酒 (jìngjiǔ), meaning respectful drink, you are putting yourself in an inferior position and so you might want to toast everyone who outranks you.
•The art of toasting: The one who initiates the toast, usually gives a well-worded wishing phrase. This is a really cultural aspect of drinking in China. You can either get people to drink more, or compliment the other person in a toast. It is considered an art form to say a few words that can reflect your ingenuity.
• Eat a lot: To avoid getting too drunk, the key is to eat. Usually there will be plenty of foods at a Chinese banquet, so there should be nothing to worry about. However keep in mind that with every course, there will of course be a ganbei with every guest!
The Chinese have their own phonetically-similar versions of most English-named drinks, so make sure you know your drink names or you may end up with something that you did not order!
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 威士忌 | wēishìjì | Whiskey |
| 伏特加 | fútèjiā | Vodka |
| 約翰走路 | yuēhànzǒulù | Johnny Walker |
| 香槟 | xiângbîn | Champagne |
| 白兰地 | báilándì | Brandy |
| 贝利尼 | bèilìní | Bellini |
| 玛格丽特 | mǎgélìtè | Margarita |
| 蓝色夏威夷 | lánsèxiàwēiyí | Blue Hawaii |
| 曼哈顿 | mànhādùn | Manhattan |
| 黑色露西亚 | hēisèlòuxīyà | Black Russian |
| 白俄罗斯 | báièluósī | White Russian |
| 马蒂尼 | mǎdìní | Martini |
| 金汤力 | jīntānglì | Gin and tonic |
| 威士忌可乐 | wēishìjìkělè | Whiskey coke |
| 血腥玛丽 | xuèxīngmǎlì | Bloody Mary |
| 莫吉托 | mòjítuō | Mojito |
Useful phrases to use when drinking in China:
Try out our drinking related phrases when you are next out at a bar!
| Lái bēi hóngpútáo jiǔ ba. 来杯红葡萄酒吧。 I'd like a glass of red wine, please. |
| Hēi, yi qi qù hē yi bēi ba? 嘿，一起去喝一杯吧？ Hey! Would you like to get some drinks together? |
| Zhǎo gè jiǔbā ba! 找个酒吧吧?! Let’s find a bar ! |
| Zhè shì jiǔ shuǐ dān. 这是酒水单. Here’s the drinks menu. |
| Nín yào shén me píjiǔ? 您要什么啤酒？ What kind of beer would you like? |
| Wǒ xiǎng cháng cháng běndì píjiǔ. 我想尝尝本地啤酒。 I'd like to try a local beer. |
| Jiù lái zhè gè bā. 就来这个吧。 I'll take that. |
So now you know the difference between 白葡萄酒 bái pútáojiǔ, and 白酒 báijiǔ, and that you can eat your rice with wine as well as in wine!
Drink safely, and like a Chinese person!
By Amy Wong and Diana Ye