MCLC: Baijiu is new darling of NY cocktail scene

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Baijiu is new darling of NY cocktail scene
Source: WSJ (10/11/15)
An Old World Spirit Meets New York Scene
Baijiu is the new darling of New York’s cocktail scene
By CHARLES PASSY
Baijiu, a potent Chinese spirit with a notoriously hard-to-like taste, has been called everything from “liquid razorblades” to “the sweat of Satan.”
Now, the clear, powerful (up to 120 proof) sip that has a kind of licorice-meets-soy-sauce flavor even fans admit isn’t for everyone, is the new darling of the New York cocktail scene.
Though little known in the U.S. until recently, the spirit, which is made from grains such as sorghum, has a history going back several centuries in China. And by virtue of China’s huge population and tradition of alcohol-fueled banquet celebrations, baijiu has become the world’s biggest-selling style of booze, generating $23 billion in sales annually.
But as much as the Chinese love their baijiu, sales have started to slow, stemming from a government crackdown on corruption and waste that has put a curb on lavish state functions and on presenting bottles to public officials. That is prompting baijiu producers to consider new markets, say spirits industry insiders.
New York is a natural market, industry insiders add. Not only is it home to a sizable Asian population already familiar with baijiu, it is also one of the focal points of the craft-cocktail movement. Daring mixologists throughout the city are forever in search of the next “it” spirit that can transform their drinks and drive patrons to their bars.
Those patrons are starting to make their way to Lumos NYC, a five-month-old Greenwich Village watering hole that touts itself as the city’s first “baijiu bar.” It features the spirit in a variety of cocktails, priced starting at $15, from the autumn-inspired Falling South to the almost milkshake-like Sesame Colada. Additional offerings include house-infused baijius—in $12 shots or shareable $90 9-ounce bottles—in such flavors as prune, fig and Szechuan pepper.
Lumos isn’t the only nightspot that has hopped on the baijiu bandwagon. Many trendy or Asian-themed bars and restaurants have put at least one baijiu-based cocktail on their drink list.
On the Upper West Side, RedFarm, a restaurant that brings a modern twist to Chinese cuisine, offers a Marco Polo cocktail that mixes baijiu with cherry tomatoes, basil and vinegar, among other ingredients. On the Lower East Side, Fung Tu, a restaurant with a similar approach, serves a Baijiu Bijou, a play on the classic Bijou cocktail.
And in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens, the JakeWalk, a craft cocktail bar, recently added Shaolin Land, a complex drink that combines baijiu with other exotic spirits, including an Italian myrtle berry liqueur, as part of a fall menu revamp.
“It is quite a ride,” says bar manager Jesse Taylor of the oddball $13 cocktail, noting it was a surprising best-seller on a recent weekend. Like other mixologists, Mr. Taylor says he is trying to find ways to build on baijiu’s bold strengths, but make the spirit more palatable—something that can be achieved within the context of a cocktail.
For those who prefer their baijiu straight, some bartenders are happy to oblige. Orson Salicetti, Lumos’s co-founder and chief mixologist, charges $32 for a 1-ounce pour of Kweichow Moutai, a high-end baijiu that might be considered the Chinese equivalent of Johnnie Walker Blue, the Scotch that routinely goes for $200 a bottle.
Mr. Salicetti says he has plenty of customers who are willing to pay for a pour, though less-expensive baijius are on the menu. The veteran bartender describes his burgeoning base as a mix of young professionals, artists and spirits geeks, with a large concentration of Chinese-Americans who are eager to embrace their heritage but in a more style-conscious manner. Lumos’s darkish décor might be described as part vintage Shanghai opium den and part jazz club.
In case patrons forget the baijiu connection, there is always the distinctive scent of the spirit—a bit mushroom-y, as Mr. Salicetti describes it—wafting throughout the bar. “It is a very aromatic spirit,” he says.
Ultimately, what happens with baijiu in the Big Apple may be about more than cocktails. The spirit seems to tap into a certain hipster ethos, say fans.
It is old yet strangely new. And it is popular yet not quite for everyone. In other words, it may be the perfect New York party sip, says artist Bradley Theodore, who is a regular at Lumos. The fact it packs a big boozy punch doesn’t hurt, either, Mr. Theodore adds.
“I think it will become the Asian tequila,” he says.
by denton.2 at osu.edu on October 14, 2015
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