Summer in London has always been the perfect time for Britons to fully enjoy themselves outdoor. Drinks, music, lovely chats with friends in a classic British garden always makes the most wonderful moments, and these constitute exactly the iconic Cocktails in the City that has attracted more than 100,000 visitors over the past decade.
Every year, Cocktails in the City brings a selection of top London bars to the Bedford Square Gardens in the heart of Bloomsbury to showcase their latest cocktail creations. It is indeed a summer celebration dedicated to cocktails, and everyone shows up with the utmost enthusiasm for the latest best drinks in town.
In 2023, Cheng International made our debut at Cocktails in the City (tap the highlighted text to read more) on behalf of Shanxi Xinghua Cun Fenjiu International Trade Limited Co. (Fenjiu or Fenjiu International). As a first-timer, we received the warmest welcome and curiosity with our Fenjiu cocktails, and drew tremendous attention to Baijiu as a 6,000-year-old spirit.
Therefore this year, we teamed up with the renowned Mayfair-based luxury fine dining Chinese restaurant Park Chinois, created two brand-new Fenjiu cocktails, and brought them to the 2024 edition of Cocktails in the City. The fragrant aroma, the unforgettable flavours, and the summer vibes - everything captured the hearts of Londoners with unprecedented love.
This August edition of Cocktails in the City welcomed over 1,000 visitors during three days, and we sold more than 2,100 Fenjiu cocktails with over 1,000 on Saturday alone, breaking the records of this event yet again.
The cocktail culture stemed from Western traditions. At an event exlusively focusing on that, the fact that Fenjiu cocktails 'reigned supreme' two years in a row spoke volumes, highlighting the exponentially growing interests in Chinese Baijiu among Britons. Visitors over the three days queued for these cocktails and asked a variety of questions about Fenjiu, demonstrating their passion in one of China's most popular spirits.
So, what was so special about these Fenjiu cocktails? What magic did Cheng International conjure in partnership with a fine dining restaurant like Park Chinois? And why did people keep coming back for more?
To answer these questions, let's take a journey back in time together.
Situated in Mayfair, London, the renowned Park Chinois restaurant has been a must-visit ever since it opened its doors back in 2015. Its 1930s Shanghai inspired atmosphere and culinary excellence blurring the boundaries between classic and creavitity have gained recognition in the bustling London fine dining scene. Even celebrity big names including Rihanna, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Rita Ora frequented Park Chinois, cementing its status as one of London's top luxury venues.
In 2023, Michelin Guide granted its first ever Exceptional Cocktail Award in Great Britain and Ireland to Park Chinois, bringing even more buzz to this already famous restaurant.
The team behind this historical win for Park Chinois joined forces with Cheng International, and created the following two exciting Fenjiu cocktails for Cocktails in the City. They will be available at Park Chinois' award-winning menu too:
Using Fenjiu Brown as the base, 'Tao Yuan' mixed it with peach liqueur & cordial, grapefruit & rosemary tonic water, and peach litters. This perfectly balanced drink fully embodied the fresh vibes of early summer evenings.
Refreshing and unique, 'Tao Yuan' was most adored by avid cocktail consumers with more acquired tastes. It showcased Fenjiu's signature aroma, while still retaining the qualities of a classic summer mix - and that was a winning ticket for cocktail enthusiasts.
A lady who stopped by not only fell in love with 'Tao Yuan' herself, but also kept bringing her friends to taste the cocktail. She mentioned that this was her fourth time visiting Cocktails in the City, and that She was always looking for the next 'it' drink in London. She was so impressed by her encounter with Fenjiu cocktails over the two years that she felt she had established a personal bond with Baijiu. Needless to say, she expressed that she really looked forward to tasting more creative mixes using Fenjiu in the future.
The other Fenjiu cocktail from Park Chinois was a sweeter crowd-pleaser 'Dragon Rose' using Fenjiu Silk Road Rose, lychee liqueur, rose syrup and lemon juice. The floral and fruity notes exuded a timeless glamour and elegence.
Wonderfully, the last day of the August Cocktails in the City happened to be this year's Qixi, also dubbed the 'Chinese Valentine's Day.' In that context, 'Dragon Rose' presented an extra sense of romance from the East on a special day for visitors in love in particular.
A couple who visited Cocktails in the City on 9 August, one day before Qixi, told us that this was their first time at this event. The Park Chinois bar's retro glamour and the visually pleasing Fenjiu cocktails both caught their eyes the second they walked into Bedford Square Gardens, but it was 'Dragon Rose' made the day perfect for them. With their anniversary less than a week away, this first encounter with Qixi and Fenjiu cocktails created an instant connection between them and Fenjiu. That prompted them to come to our Fenjiu stand and learn more about Baijiu - a new romance indeed!
And of course - why choose when you could enjoy both drinks? Almost everyone tried both Fenjiu cocktails from Park Chinois and even ordered a few more of whichever one they preferred. Such is the magic of Fenjiu cocktails.
The 9th August was World Baijiu Day, and it happend to fall in the middle of the three-day Cocktails in the City celebration. Both the organiser of the event and Park Chinois made extra efforts to celebrate the occasion that created even more special memories for the 2024 edition.
Park Chinois erected a 30s Shanghai retro style Fenjiu stand just outside of their garden bar. Its elegant and luxurious design not only matched the garden vibes perfectly, but also made a stunning platform for Cheng International to showcase a selection of Fenjiu available for purchase in the UK.
We presented Fenjiu's Qing Hua 'Blue Flower' range, Zhu Ye Qing 'Bamboo' range, and Fenjiu Silk Road Rose at the stand. Rocking their unique Chinese Baijiu visual designs, these bottles attracted many visitors to stop by and learn about Fenjiu, either before or after trying the Fenjiu cocktails. It was such a vision that many even took selfies with the stand after sampling Fenjiu neat,!
Meanwhile, Cocktails in the City offered our team the opportunity to host four Baijiu masterclasses for the public. Qiqi Chen, managing director at Cheng International, facilicated a comprehensive introduction to Baijiu as a spirit category, showcased Fenjiu products highlighting their respective meanings and flavours, and invited every attendee to sample Fenjiu to understand the brand further.
Unsurprisingly, all four masterclasses were packed, with some attendees even standing on the side just to listen to Qiqi giving a fantastic explanation of what Baijiu was and why its culture was so important.
While enjoying the three Fenjiu offered for sampling, many attendees also popped a range of questions during the Q&A segment, asking about Baijiu drinking customs, the cultural significance of certain traditions, and tasting notes of specific Fenjiu products.
That reflected Britons' ever-increasing curiosity and appreciation of Baijiu, growing stronger each year. It was also an excellent testament of the Cheng International's and Fenjiu's continuous efforts in telling enjoyable Baijiu stories in the UK.
From our participation for two consecutive years at Cocktails in the City, it was clear that both the industry recognition and the general public's understanding of Baijiu had come a long way. We are so pleased that the joint endeavours of Cheng International and Fenjiu International of Baijiu culture promotion have been so fruitful and encouraging.
The rapid increase in interest in Baijiu culture in the UK means that Fenjiu boasts great potential in this established market. We trully look forward to bringing more Fenjiu cocktails and other creative ways of enjoying Fenjiu to spirits and wine enthusiasts everywhere!
