Monthly Archives: December 2011

‘What goes down…’ or the Luzhou ‘Maotai’ tasting

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Derek

On Friday, December 9, 2011, four brave souls convened at a restaurant in Chengdu for the first of what will become regular baijiu tastings. The idea was to drink baijiu the way it was intended: with a good meal. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A holiday gift from 300 Shots: The Randy Centaur

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Derek

p.s. The horse legs didn’t fit in the frame, but they’re there.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Baijiu basics: How big is your qu?

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Derek

Before getting too carried away with the drinking, it’s best that I discuss some baijiu basics and, by extension, alcohol basics. I am neither a scientist nor an alcohol industry expert. I assume the same holds true for most readers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Baijiu basics | 1 Comment

First blood: Wuliangye

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Derek

Last week I had baijiu for the first time in well over a year, courtesy of my friend Tony. We were drinking Wuliangye 五粮液, a local (distilled in Yibin, Sichuan) brand named after the five grains used in its base … Continue reading →

Posted in Tastings | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

A race to the bottom of the bottle

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Derek

I start this blog with a confession: I don’t like baijiu. At least not yet. For the laymen among us, baijiu is a Chinese word meaning, literally, white alcohol and, more generally, distilled grain alcohol. In English we might call it “hooch,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 17 Comments