BEIJING — What is this drink? My nostrils flair. My eyes water. I ask my host if we are about to toast, or cause a nuclear meltdown from the tip of my tongue to the back of my throat.
Moutai might be the most intimidating shot of alcohol in the world.
So I’ve got to partake of this grand Chinese tradition.
It is poured from a quart bottle that looks like something you would dump into a nitro-burning dragster.
And the smell? Well, to be kind, imagine a high school chemistry experiment gone horribly wrong.
But when President Richard Nixon reopened U.S. relations with China, he drank Moutai. And, in a local store, the 106-proof version can fetch more than $100 per bottle.
“If you are a successful businessman in China, you drink Moutai, because many deals are done over the dinner table,” my trusty guide Zeng Zhe has previously informed me.
He also insists it’s not unusual for each man at the table to down an entire bottle at a single meal.
No way, I think, trying not to let my hand tremble.
Before drinking, Beijingers often enthusiastically declare “Ganbei,” which loosely translated, I believe, means, “You’re going to regret this in the morning.”
The Moutai goes down as smooth as kerosene stirred with a lit match.
Note to self: Next time I want to partake of a locally famous drink, I’m sticking with the green tea.
— Mark Kiszla
