Baijiu, The Punchy Chinese Spirit, Isn't Meant To Be Mixed — Here's Why

The best-selling liquor in the world is baijiu, a clear spirit distilled from sorghum, glutinous rice, or wheat that few people outside of China have likely ever heard of. There are four main types of baijiu, and it's estimated that 10 billion liters of the spirit are consumed in China every year. Needless to say, baijiu is very popular in the East Asian country — and like any other spirit, it comes with its own rituals and rules, one being that you don't mix it.

A baijiu cocktails and mixed drinks break traditional baijiu rules. The established rituals of baijiu is centered around a group experience — think of any time you've  seen a group of people all do a shot at once. That is how baijiu has long been enjoyed. The spirit is intended for slower, individual enjoyment, often over business dinners — but the shots don't stop until the bottle is done. It's a ritual of endurance.

You're supposed to drink baijiu straight. For traditionalists, mixing it would be a breach of etiquette. But cocktail makers argue that tradition has kept many potential baijiu drinkers away. Those behind the trend — which has been growing for more than a decade since the world's first baijiu bar opened in 2014 — feel that younger drinkers and women especially prefer something to cut the taste of baijiu, and the interesting twists on traditional cocktails that doing so offers.

In China's past, drinking alcohol was intimately tied to social, political, business, and familial relationships. Knowing baijius drinking rules was therefore important in many situations. These customs no longer appeal to younger generations who are more health conscious. It also doesn't help that baijiu is often described as tasting like perfume and cleaners. Cocktails, in turn, dilute the taste of the alcohol and offer people more variety — allowing younger drinkers to focus more on the social aspect of drinking and less on the alcohol. While the traditions of older-generations will likely always remain in China, as the world discovers baijiu, the newer generation's approach will become just as important. Many cocktail bars around the world are already embracing it.

World Baijiu Day started in 2015 as a way to introduce the spirit to people outside of China, promoting cocktails as an alternative for those who find traditional baijiu drinking unpleasant through partnerships with bars and restaurants worldwide. The trend is also growing as baijiu makers promote their product beyond China's borders. For example, the Chinese brand, Jiangxiaobai, makes fruit-infused baijiu with lower alcohol to appeal to younger customers. Meanwhile, many bars like Ming River in Arcadia, California have adopted both original baijiu cocktail creations and twists on classics — including baijiu negronis, sours, and piña coladas. So while some may tell you not to mix baijiu, the allure of a "baijiu-tini" may just be too tempting.