Celebrate the Lunar New Year with Ming River

This Lunar New Year, Ming River is reminding us that a good spirit only needs a toast.

You can’t celebrate the Lunar New Year without baijiu, you just can’t. This traditional Chinese spirit is the cornerstone of celebration, especially for one of the biggest holidays in the world.

“In China, alcohol is something that brings people together, it’s the glue of Chinese social life,” says Derek Sandhaus, co-founder of Ming River. “Serving others alcohol is the mark of good hospitality, and toasting is how you can show respect to others.”

Baijiu is China’s crown spirit, a grain alcohol commonly made from sorghum. This spirit is quite the chameleon, as it must begin with qu, a spontaneous fermentation that lends each baijiu unique aromatic characteristics and flavor.

Bringing the original Sichuan baijiu to bars worldwide, Ming River is how you get your Chinese New Year drinks right.

The top priority – a good toast.

“A friend in Chengdu once told me there are two rules for drinking baijiu: Never drink without a reason and never drink alone,” says Sandhaus.

“This means you never sip, you always drink a shot with others. It also means that before every drink one needs to make a toast, usually a heartfelt expression of gratitude and a wish for good health and fortune of the toastee(s).”

Baijiu is a natural synonym for togetherness – meaning if your glass is full, you better find or make a new friend. This is the beauty of baijiu, and the mantra Ming River encourages everyone to carry into their Lunar New Year festivities.

“We want restaurants serving Ming River to offer neat pours with our carafes and shot glasses and to pass on these traditions to their customers. That said, we are fine with people drinking baijiu however they like” says Sandhaus.

Still, Ming River reminds us there’s something else we can’t forget – the food.

“Baijiu’s flavors are designed to enhance the cuisine where that baijiu originates. The meal is incomplete without complementary flavors. In our case, it’s paired with spicy Sichuanese food, a perfect match for Ming River’s funky fruity flavor.”

Now, not all of us know where to find a proper baijiu food pairing Lunar New Year experience. That’s where Ming River steps in – with exciting events and recommendations to make the upcoming New Year full of fortune.

“On the New Year, it’s traditional to eat fish (the Chinese word for is a homophone for abundance), noodles (their length symbolizes longevity), and dumplings (symbolize wealth),” says Sandhaus.

“For classic Sichuanese dishes along those lines, I recommend shuizhu yu (fish in red chili oil), dan dan or tianshui noodles, and choushou (dumplings with chili sauce).”

While our stomachs growl, Sandhaus didn’t hesitate to share the real cherry on top – the events Ming River is mixing up for the upcoming holiday.

“This Lunar New Year, we’ll be teaming up with renowned chef Natasha Pickowicz for a hot pot and baijiu-focused event at the James Beard Foundation Platform space in Manhattan,” shares Sandhaus.

With all the food and celebration, we can only imagine what the baijiu cocktails may be like too. Sandhaus leaves that up to our creativity – “As long as you drink it with good friends alongside good food and conversation you’re doing it right.”

Ming River also recently launched its Year of the Snake mugs, which, like all of their limited-edition mugs can be redeemed for bottle caps via their online Chop Shop.

The post Celebrate the Lunar New Year with Ming River appeared first on Chilled Magazine.