Unlike industry-led tastings aimed primarily at professionals, this event was conceived as a consumer-facing gathering, rooted in lived, social experience. Alongside its ongoing work with British bars and spirits professionals, Cheng International used this format to engage the UK’s young consumers and the Chinese community, offering a more contemporary way to experience baijiu and its dialogue with cocktail culture.
As one of Manchester’s representative Chinese bars, Hunan Bar has long served as a social hub for the local Chinese community.
On the day, two Fenjiu cocktails were created and served by Levs Surovecs, Assistant Bar Manager at China Tang at The Dorchester London and Fenjiu Ambassador in the UK. Using Fenjiu 10 YO and Fenjiu Fen Chiew Brown as their base, the drinks incorporated fresh notes of lemon and lychee, preserving Fenjiu’s light-aroma character while presenting an easy-drinking profile.
As the drinks were shared, more young guests joined in—some were drawn by the novelty of baijiu cocktails in the UK, others were struck by the familiarity of seeing a traditional spirit thoughtfully reimagined within a Chinese setting abroad.
Many participants remarked that it was their first time encountering baijiu in such an easygoing format. As one guest put it, the cocktail felt “less defined by its weighty image.” Such an experience encouraged young audiences to take an interest in baijiu’s contemporary evolution, while Chinese business communities in the UK also gained a renewed perspective on its overseas potential.
