Drunk in China: Baijiu and the World’s Oldest Drinking Culture

China is one of the world's leading producers and consumers of liquor, with alcohol infusing all aspects of its culture, from religion and literature to business and warfare. Yet to the outside world, China's most famous spirit, baijiu, remains a mystery. This is about to change, as baijiu is now being served in cocktail bars beyond its borders.

Drunk in China follows Derek Sandhaus's journey of discovery into the world's oldest drinking culture. He travels throughout the country and around the globe to meet with distillers, brewers, snake-oil salesmen, archaeologists, and ordinary drinkers. He examines the many ways in which alcohol has shaped Chinese society and its rituals. He visits production floors, karaoke parlors, hotpot joints, and speakeasies. Along the way he uncovers a tradition spanning more than nine thousand years and explores how recent economic and political developments have conspired to push Chinese alcohol beyond the nation's borders for the first time. As Chinese society becomes increasingly international, its drinking culture must also adapt to the times. Can the West also adapt and clink glasses with China? Read Drunk in China and find out.

Derek Sandhaus has published four books on Chinese history and culture, most recently Baijiu: The Essential Guide to Chinese Spirits. In 2018 Sandhaus co-founded Ming River Sichuan Baijiu in partnership with China’s oldest continually operational distillery. He serves as Ming River’s baijiu education director and as the editor at DrinkBaijiu.com. He lives with his wife and dog in Jerusalem, where he is developing a fondness for arak.