Alcohol aficionados: Yaojiu

Think booze in China and it’s not all about red faces, unwilling baijiu sessions, Tsingtao and unopened gifts of XO brandy languishing on shelves. Less in the expat purview are local national beverages such as huangjiu (yellow wine), mijiu (rice wine) and one that remains unexplored by most: the alcohol-drug combo, yaojiu.

 

The alcohol disclaimer that is popular with older generations, “It’s for medicinal purposes,” can be literally applied to yaojiu. The brew is created by infusing various ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) into rice wine or grain alcohol. Because alcohol easily absorbs medicinal essences, yaojiu in its various forms is regarded as an important curative, restorative and re-invigorator by those in the know.

 

Veteran TCM practitioner and medical booze aficionado Qin Ronghua notes that “We now have all types of yaojiu available on the market that infuse roots and plants such as ginseng, angelica root, radix codonopsis and seahorse.

 

The first recorded use of yaojiu was in the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), and since then its popularity has increased along with the inventiveness of how it’s prepared. More exotic medicinal concoctions such as scorpion and snake can also be found, says Qin, but the most outlandish incarnation according to folk lore is 'e wei,' a valuable medical ingredient that grows in the tombs of drug addicts.

 

Qin believes that, “From the TCM angle, yaojiu can be good for your health. However, different ingredients function in different ways, so you have to choose the right drink to solve certain ailments.” He mentions that, “Although yaojiu is an alcoholic drink, it follows the principles of TCM to optimize the body’s yin and yang and benefit mental acuity."

 

In his bar in Sea World, Qin makes two types of drinks – one for the gents, the other for the ladies. “One is home-brewed corn liquor with selected ginseng, goji berries and Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum (lurong).” It also contains deer bones and deer penis. Unsurprisingly, Qin says “This one is for men – to make them stronger, more virile and, most importantly, perform better in bed.” Pointing to an expat drinker in the bar, Qin says, “This man comes in to drink yaojiu two to three times a week.” At 60 percent proof, one glass three to five times a week is apparently suitable.

 

A giant ginseng root rests in the center of the bottle, under which lie two black stick-like objects: the deer bones and its penis. These in turn are surrounded by goji berries and brown lurong. The way to tell the quality of yaojiu is by murkiness – the muddier the better, because it means that more medicine has dissolved into the alcohol. The best yaojiu requires a minimum of three years for the ingredients to become at one with the liquor, and thus give imbibers a pleasant sharpness that mixes the alcohol and earthy taste of the ingredients.

 

For women, the choice is a ‘softer’ one that – again unsurprisingly – contributes to beauty in the form of home-brewed 40 percent proof kaoliang spirit with herba epimedii, motherwort, Indian mulberry and other female-friendly ingredients. As well as outer beauty, it apparently improves sleep and enhances inner harmony.

 

Qin has also blended his know-how with modern technology to invent a yaojiu cocktail that combines different liquors and ingredients. His signature is Bubu Gao, which literally means ‘flying higher and higher,’ as represented by the cocktail’s colored layers.

 

Go on, give it a shot!