Potential winner

Paul Mathew makes his cocktail Guizhou Elixir at a reception in Renhuai, Guizhou province.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"I see a lot of similarity between baijiu and Mexican spirits," says Ulric Nijs. "It was an uphill struggle for tequila 20 years ago, it was a hard sell in upscale bars then, similar to baijiu now. It's an acquired taste."

The Dutch barman gave the spirit a tiki-style twist, in a sweet-and-salty mix of lemon and pineapple juice, Orgeat, Peychauld/Creole bitters, reposado tequila and Kweichow Moutai.

"There's a distinct Moutai presence there," he says, "but not enough to scare people off."

Guillaume Ferroni from France gave baijiu a bit more weight in his pink concoction Le Beau Voyage, which also featured absinthe and cherry liqueur.

Baijiu seems alien to many Western drinkers, says Paul Mathew, the third guest bartender and a fixture on the Beijing cocktail scene for several years.

"Bartenders love finding and offering something nobody knows about. That's why we're here."

Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn

Recipe

GUIZHOU ELIXIR

Paul Mathew, who runs bars in London that feature baijiu cocktails, offers a "tropical Moutai cocktail that balances sweet and sour and savory with an added touch of spice."

INGREDIENTS

35 ml Kweichow Moutai

35 ml passionfruit, lemon and pineapple syrup

5 ml Luxardo Maraschino liqueur

2-3 dashes Sichuan and chili pepper tincture Bitters

DIRECTIONS

Stir and shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

To make a bottle of the syrup, mix 250 ml fresh lemon juice, juice from ½ fresh pineapple and flesh from five passion fruits with 300 grams white sugar and stir until dissolved. Strain to remove seeds and other fruit solids.

To make the tincture, macerate 15 g Sichuan pepper and 2 dried chili peppers in 100 ml Kweichow Moutai or a strong neutral spirit for two days. Filter and bottle for use.