Taste the Authentic Beijing White Liquor

In Beijing, lots of people are fond of drinking erguotou, a kind of Chinese white liquor. Erguotou means second distillation. And it’s made here in Niulanshan county, northeast of Beijing.

The history of erguotou goes back 800 years ago when it used to be called shaojiu. It was not only made from sorghum, but also other grains.

If you hear a Beijing native saying “xiao’er,” it’s not someone’s name. In most cases, he or she means erguotou (literally “second distillation”), a kind of Chinese white liquor. Beijingers stand by three pleasures: visiting the Great Wall, tasting roast duck and drinking erguotou. Tourists visiting Beijing should indulge in the “three pleasures,” of which erguotou is the most “intoxicating.”

To make erguotou, the sorghum is ground up and then boiled. The first batch has over 70 percent alcohol and is discarded. After a few days, the grain is boiled again and this batch is called erguotou. The sorghum is then left to ferment in deep pits in the ground for several days, then distilled and blended. It includes the flavors of walnuts, longans, western ginseng and sugar.

Erguotou can be made in six months. But the better tasting ones are those that are aged for over 10 years – even up to a century.

On the gate of the Site of Yuanshenghao at 99 Qianmen Street hangs a white plaque bearing golden characters that translate to “The Birthplace of China’s First Bottle of Erguotou,” which can be traced back to the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. Why is this liquor called erguotou? It is distilled twice, which makes it taste better. If you pass Qianmen, visit Erguotou Museum at the Site of Yuanshenghao. The aroma of this liquor was imprinted in the memories of grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

Copyright: SKETCHES OF CLASSIC BEIJING, China Pictorial Press

Photo/IC