The Best Way to Upgrade Tiki Cocktails? Turn East to Ming River

Ming River is a smooth introduction to one of the most important spirits in the world: baijiu.

This Chinese spirit is made from predominantly fermented sorghum, which is distilled into a vibrant spirit, unlike anything you’d find in the West. It’s fermented with qu, a nearly five-thousand-year-old Chinese technique using native yeast to ferment grain in solid rather than liquid form.

“Baijiu is the world’s most popular distilled spirit by both value and volume, so any spirits education that doesn’t include it is woefully incomplete—and a lot less fun,” says Derek Sandhaus, co-founder of Ming River and author of two books about baijiu, including most recent, Drunk in China.

“It’s important that people understand that baijiu represents techniques and traditions that date back to before the beginnings of Chinese civilization, and so it’s important to treat it with curiosity and respect.”

Don’t worry if you don’t know much about baijiu, because it’s never too late to discover the national spirit of China. There are roughly 10 thousand distilleries in China producing around seven billion liters of baijiu, according to Sandhaus. That’s a lot of spirit and a lot of opportunity to get creative.

Because the best part about baijiu is that no baijiu is the same.

“It is not one spirit, but at least twelve unique spirits that can be as different as gin is to tequila, so a bartender needs to understand what style they’re working with and what it brings to a cocktail. You can’t just swap out one baijiu for another,” shares Sandhaus.

So, where does the tiki fall into this? Ming River is that spirit that shows you just how flexible and friendly baijiu is behind the bar.

“Ming River is what’s called strong-aroma baijiu, Sichuan’s signature style. It’s fruity, floral, and funky, with dominant notes of pineapple and anise, and an earthy finish. It’s perfect for tropical tiki-style drinks because it plays a lot like a high-ester rum or rhum agricole in a cocktail,” says Sandhaus.

When it comes to applying baijiu, it’s all about going back to the basics—a/k/a using your tastebuds. Sandhaus urges you to try it neat even if you have a recipe in front of you. “Baijiu is made with wild yeast, so there’s a lot of natural variation and no two baijius are alike, even within the same style.”

The second tip is our favorite—mind the funk. “Certain ingredients that you’ll find in the tiki back bar do a good job of mellowing the funk without losing what makes baijiu special. In particular, falernum/almond and coconut do the trick,” says Sandhaus.

Many bartenders are already getting creative with baijiu tiki cocktails in imaginative ways. Sandhaus shared a couple with the Chilled team, and our thirst hasn’t left us yet.

“One standout is Ashley Mac’s Hai Seas Daiquiri, a baijiu-rhum agricole hybrid that really plays into Ming River’s culinary roots with the addition of a numbing-spicy-sweet Sichuan peppercorn-infused simple syrup,” says Sandhaus.

“Also, just last week, we had the pleasure of working with the great Amie Ward, whose Red Bean-a-Colada is perhaps the finest frozen baijiu drink I have ever tasted.”

So, have you experimented with baijiu yet?