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Alcohol production in China has a very old history, spanning several millennia. The different spirits were developed, each one maintains own characteristics. The most prominent corn/grain spirits are the Shaoxing, the Fen, the Maotai, the Luzhou-Daqu and the Xifeng. After fermentation the liquid is stored for years in clay containers, than mixed with fresh, distilled Shaoxing. Aged Shaoxing has a special aroma and a pleasant taste. There are different kinds of Shaoxing spirits. They are labelled according to quality standard and storage time. From the best is said, that it should be made when the daughter is born, than stored underneath the ground, until the girl is grown up. During the wedding ceremony this spirit should be offered to the guests by the glass. Since the brides wore red in the ancient China, the colour of luck, this spirit is named Nuer Hong (Red Daughter). The Xinghua village (apricot-flower) in the district of Fenyang, Provinz Shanxi, is the home of the Fen-spirit. Since 550 this clear, strong schnaps is being produced here. In the Tang-Dynasty (618 – 907) this brandy was recognized all over China. The wells, from where the water was used for the schnaps, are still in existence, and the traditional technique remained unchanged for generations. The Fen-brandy is made out of red sorghum and sweet peas which constitutes the fermenting mix. The fermenting process in a wide bodied container with a small opening lasts for 21 days. The famous Chinese writer Lu Xun commented once as follows: “When I am slurping Fen-schnaps, I close my eyes and examine the taste. It does not make drunk at all, it rather refreshes, the feeling after drinking resembles the feeling after a relieving, steady rain”. The Maotai-schnaps from the little town of Maotai, Province Guizhou has a 200 year old history. The schnaps is well known, both inland and abroad, and even during highest official banquets in the great hall of the people the cheers with Maotai turn into a heavy binge. The Maoitai requires a special fermentation process. After the first fermentation and distillation the liquid is poured back into containers. After the second distillation the better quality of Maotai will be separated from the lesser qualities. Then the distillate ferments again. Applying this process, the content of a barrel ferments 8 times over the course of 8 months. The clear, fiery Maotai is then shelved for three years, before the product is bottled. The Xifeng-schnaps is produced in the little town of Liulin, district Fengxiang, Province Shaanxi, where old wells with crystal clear waters are abundant. The manufacturing process is very complicated and cumbersome. Different materials for fermentation are piled up, 4 layers in all and fermented over a couple of years. After the new spirit is distilled it is put into containers covered with a willow wattle. The container is lined with paper which is spread with animal blood. The spirit is than stored for three years, before it is bottled. The Xifeng tastes sour, sweet, spicy and aromatic and refreshes the dry palate. The famous poem Su Shi during the Song-dynasty, compared it once with a poem referring to the beautiful willows along the Eastlake (near Wuhan) and with the gracile hands of a woman. The Daqu from the district Luzhou, Provinz Sichuan, is acknowledged for it’s special storage, sometimes it has been stored for 380 years. The soil of the cellar absorbes some of the condensation and darkens after all these years. Then again the specific odour of the cellar creeps slowly in and creates over time the peculiar taste of the Daqu. These famous spirits will be bottled. Those bottles are small, little pieces of art themselves. Some are made out of porcelain, others from glass. The Maotai porcelain bottle for instance is designed in a cylindrical shape, adorned by a red-golden label. In China more than 100 different spirits are either distilled from spices or herbs. The Zhuyeqing is one of the most famous. Raw materials for the production are green bamboo leaves, dried orange peel, sussurea lappa (a Chinese medicine) and nine other kinds of herbs, which will be put into Fen-schnaps. The Wujiapi, made from herbs and distillates, works invigorating and is believed to be a good remedy for certain illnesses. During holidays and festivities Chinese always enjoy drinking a glass of schnaps together. In the past some folks preferred to venture out alone to relax while having a drink under blossoming trees in the moonshine. And an old folksong narrates how someone can unwind with a schnaps after a hard days work: “At sunset I sit in front of my door, a glass (of schnaps) in my hand, and I feel like a god”… Liquor stores are present everywhere in China, even in small towns an of course big cities, especially a lot of them at locations where famous spirits are produced. In the little town of Shaoxing the ratio is 3 out of 10 stores are liquor shops. Many old legends give vivid accounts about the topic of schnaps. One of the most popular stories recounts about Du Kang, who worked as a public servant in the Zhou Ddynasty (1066 B.C– 221 B. C.). Du Kang liked to drink and produce schnaps himself. He returned home after retirement, opened a liquor store und sold self made liquor which he labelled “Dukang”. Dukang became well known far and wide. One day someone who was widely known to be a heavy drinker without getting drunk, came in to Du Kang’s store. He praised the Dukang while he drunk it heavily. By the time he wanted to pay, Du Kang refused the money and said: “..The quality of my schnaps can only be judged after 3 years. That’s why I want to ask you, to please pay after this time.” The man went home and fell into a coma like sleep. He laid there for some days and nights like dead and his whole body gave off the smell of the Dukang liquor. His family members figured, that he might have died of alcohol intoxication, arranged a funeral and buried him. Three years later Du Kang appeared at the family’s home to collect the money for the consumed schnaps. Now the family viewed Du Kang as a murderer and apprehended him. With a smile on his face Du Kang demanded from the family to open his grave. That was done immediately. As they opened the coffin, the buried drinker straightened up and shouted: “ What a superb schnaps, really a fantastic schnaps!”…From this time on Dukang became even more famous. Cao Cao, a famed strategist who lived in the era of the Three Kingdoms (220 A.D– 265 A.D) lauded the Dukang in a poem: “ Only Dukang can take my sorrows away!” This liquor which is still available today, has once been served to Kaknei Tanaka, the former Japanese Prime Minister, while he visited China in 1972. Unfortunately we don’t know his comments about the Dukang. Chinese Bamboo Spirits Short description: One particular speciality from the “Town of the apricot - blossom” in the Province of Shanxi, Northern-China, is: “Zhu Ye Qing” (“green bamboo leaf”) is considered a drinkable medicine, which is derived from the leaves of the bamboo tree. Short description: Alcohol content: 62 vol. %, one of the most popular liquors from China, completely mild, with a full, pure scent. Short description: This schnaps is characterized by it’s strong aroma with a light sweet taste. It is well suited as an enjoyable and refreshing drink, year round, and recommended for cooking, hence to aromatize salty meat dishes and varieties of culinary experiments. Alcohol content: 54 vol. %. |