爲勇者而生 北京首家白酒酒吧開業

A new bar in Beijing billing itself as the world's first dedicated to baijiu hopes to change people's minds about China's fiery national drink.

北京有一家新開的酒吧號稱是全世界首個以白酒爲主打的酒吧，這家酒吧希望改變人們對於這種火辣的中國飲品的印象。

'A lot of people have had bad experiences at banquets' where they might be coerced into drinking shot after shot of the colorless liquor distilled from sorghum and rice, says American William Isler, one of Capital Spirits' owners. 'They throw up and say, 'Never again.''

首都酒坊(Capital Spirits)的所有者之一美國人艾斯勒(William Isler)表示，很多人都有這樣的不愉快經歷：在宴會上被逼左一杯右一杯地飲下這種由高粱和大米蒸餾的無色液體。艾斯勒說，一些人喝過之後一邊吐一邊表示決不再碰白酒。

Capital Spirits has the vibe of a speakeasy, with muted lighting, plenty of antique wood and a stainless-steel still in the corner churning out distilled beer and wine. There's no sign on the door, although a ledge outside is set up with small wooden chairs, low tables and candles.

首都酒坊帶有一種酒吧的氣氛。這裏燈光幽微，佈置多采用古 的木材，在拐角處一個不鏽鋼的蒸餾器中正在源源不斷地生產啤酒和紅酒。酒坊的門上沒有標誌，但外面的平臺上放置着小小的木椅、矮桌以及蠟燭。

Tentative drinkers can sample flights of more than two dozen varieties of baijiu. Like a flight of wine, the thimble-sized samples go from the lightest, rice-based baijius to one with a 'sauce' fragrance, a smell some compare to paint thinner. One highlight is a snake-infused baijiu from Guangdong, a drink that may serve as more of a bragging point than an actual best-seller. For the less adventurous, the bar also offers several baijiu-based cocktails, including a baijiu sour and a Crab Island Iced Tea, as well as craft liquor and beer. The bar will eventually sell wine too.

品酒者可以嘗試幾十種白酒，樣品和頂針差不多大小，從濃度最低的、以大米爲原料的白酒到醬香型白酒（有人認爲其氣味和塗料稀釋劑類似）都可以嚐到。其中的一個亮點是一種來自廣東的浸泡過蛇的白酒，這種白酒更多地是作爲一種噱頭，而並不是說這種酒最暢銷。對於那些不那麼喜歡挑戰的品酒者，首都酒坊也準備了一些白酒勾兌的雞尾酒，其中包括酸味白酒、蟹島冰茶、工藝白酒和啤酒。這家酒吧也出售紅酒。

On a recent night at the bar, patron Henry Proudlove, a Beijing-based animation designer who grew up in England, admits he wasn't walking down the street and suddenly feeling in the mood for baijiu. But 'it's nice to have other options,' he says as he drinks a beer and samples the occasional flight of baijiu.

近日的一個晚上，從小在英國長大、現居北京的動畫師普勞洛夫(Henry Proudlove)在酒吧裏說，他並非沿着街道散步、突然心血來潮想喝一杯白酒才進來的；有其他選擇總是好的。他當時一邊啤酒，一邊偶爾嘗上一口白酒。

The bar's owners say they were inspired by a talk and baijiu-tasting earlier this year by Derek Sandhaus, author of 'Baijiu: The Essential Guide to Chinese Spirits.

酒吧的幾位主人說，他們是今年早些時候跟桑德豪斯(Derek Sandhaus)談話、品嚐白酒時獲得的開店靈感。桑德豪斯是《白酒：中國烈酒必備指南》(Baijiu: The Essential Guide to Chinese Spirits)一書的作者。

'I thought, maybe there's an interest in presenting baijiu in a Western-style bar environment where you have baijiu by the glass, not by the bottle,' says Mr. Isler.

艾斯勒說：“我覺得，或許在西方風格的酒吧裏提供白酒是件挺有意思的事，在這裏，你用玻璃杯品嚐白酒，而不是對着酒瓶子喝。”

Mr. Sandhaus, for his part, says he couldn't be more proud. It's 'akin to what a more upstanding citizen would feel upon the birth of their first child,' he said by email.

桑德豪斯在郵件中說，他對此非常自豪，這種感覺就好像是第一個孩子出生時的那種喜悅。

The space, which fits about 30 people, features exposed brick, wood-beam ceilings and low lighting.

首都酒坊店裏可以坐大約30人，室內可以看到裸露出來的磚塊，頂部有木質房樑，燈吊得很低。

Architect Anna Pipilis, who helped design the bar, says an interior wall was removed and she scoured local stores for old wood and low tables to create more traditional Chinese-style seating. 'I wanted to do something representing Beijing a little bit,' she says. She insisted on the lower tables because 'you see so many people outside doing things with friends, and they're always sitting low.'

幫助設計這家酒吧的建築師皮皮利斯(Anna Pipilis)稱，酒吧的內牆被拆除了，她從當地的商店裏搜到了舊木頭和矮凳，以打造更傳統的中國式座位。她說，她希望酒吧能帶點北京味。她堅持用矮桌子，她說，看外面這麼多人和朋友們在一起時總是坐得很低。

Jim Boyce, who blogs about food and drink in Beijing, says he's surprised no one has come up with the concept before. The bar, he says, 'will be good for those who live here and want to go beyond the full-on ganbei experience, and for those visiting and interested in trying Chinese spirits.'

寫北京食物和飲料方面的博客的博主博伊斯(Jim Boyce)表示，他感到驚訝的是，爲什麼之前就沒人想到過要開一間以白酒爲主打的酒吧。他說，對於那些在此居住並想有除乾杯之外的其他體驗，以及那些到此訪問並有興趣嚐嚐中國白酒的人而言，這家酒吧非常有幫助。

Russian architect Valerie Pestereva, visiting the bar recently for her second time, says the bar's owners have helped her find an appreciation for the potent grain alcohol. 'The last time I came here, it definitely changed my opinion about baijiu. Each time, they told the story and everything suddenly gained a value.'

俄羅斯建築師Valerie Pestereva近來第二次造訪了這家酒吧。她說，酒吧的主人讓她學會了如何品嚐酒勁十足的白酒。她還說，第二次來這家酒吧時，她對白酒的看法完全改變了，每次來的時候，酒吧的主人都會講述白酒的故事，一切都突然有了價值。

'People come in saying they don't want baijiu,' says Simon Dang, one of the bar's co-founders. 'And they leave loving it.'

該酒吧的聯合創始人之一Simon Dang表示，客人們來的時候都說不要白酒，但走的時候已經愛上白酒了。