美國(guó)人也愛(ài)喝二鍋頭，你敢信？

Among Chinese people, baijiu is renowned as more than a drink. It’s a national symbol. Yet, for foreign drinkers, the overpowering flavor of this high-proof spirit usually makes for an overwhelmingexperience.

在中國(guó)人心目中，白酒不僅是作為一種酒而出名，它還是民族的符號(hào)。但是對(duì)于外國(guó)人來(lái)說(shuō)，這種高度酒的嗆人口味往往令他們難以駕馭。

In 1972, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai toasted US President Richard Nixon with baijiu for rekindling relations between the US and China. US reporter Dan Rather described this iconic drink as “liquid razorblades”. And even today, baijiu is still being depicted as firewater or rocket fuel among Westerners.

1972年，時(shí)任美國(guó)總統(tǒng)的理查德•尼克松訪華。周恩來(lái)總理正是用白酒來(lái)致敬兩國(guó)重建邦交。美國(guó)記者丹•拉瑟用“液體刀片”來(lái)形容白酒。時(shí)至今日，西方人還會(huì)將白酒描述成“烈酒”或者“火箭燃料”。

But thanks to the creative minds in the alcohol business, this powerful liquor is becoming the new darling of the bar-goers in major US cities like New York, Washington and Los Angeles.

但是得益于酒商的巧思，在紐約、華盛頓以及洛杉磯等美國(guó)大城市，濃烈的白酒正在成為愛(ài)酒者的新寵。

“We’ve made [baijiu] much more palatable to American tastes,” Matt Trusch, the founder of Bye Joe USA distillery, explained to the Reuters. What Trusch does is re-filter traditional Chinese baijiu to lower the alcohol level.

“我們讓白酒更適于美國(guó)人的口味，”馬特•庫(kù)斯奇向路透社解釋道。作為Bye Joe美國(guó)白酒釀造廠的創(chuàng)始人，他將中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)白酒重新過(guò)濾以降低它的酒精濃度。

Other creative twists are also being implemented to promote baijiu in the US. Bartenders have concocted baijiu cocktails with an array of ingredients including vinegar, milk, juice and fruits.

其他一些奇思妙想也讓白酒在美國(guó)推廣開(kāi)來(lái)。調(diào)酒師們利用白酒以及醋、牛奶、果汁和水果等一系列原料調(diào)制出了白酒雞尾酒。

Some bars even take more extreme approaches. In New York, a Brooklyn bar named JakeWal combines baijiu with exotic spirits such as Italian myrtle berry liqueur. And others mix baijiu with powerful liquors like rum to balance the flavor.

一些酒吧甚至有更絕的招數(shù)。紐約布魯克林一家名為杰克沃的酒吧將白酒與意大利愛(ài)神木果利口酒和其他一些異國(guó)烈酒混和。另一些酒吧將白酒與朗姆酒等烈酒混合來(lái)調(diào)和它的口味。

“The key to making a good baijiu cocktail is to pair it with equally powerful flavors,” New York bartender Sam Anderson told The New York Times.

“秘訣就是將白酒和同樣濃烈的酒品搭配在一起，”紐約的調(diào)酒師山姆•安德森告訴《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》。

With their distinctive flavor and aftertaste, baijiu cocktails stand out from other classic drinks made from traditional spirits like whiskey, tequila and vodka. The pungent taste may discourage some, but it’s actually a draw for many adventurous young drinkers.

獨(dú)特的口味和回味讓白酒雞尾酒從威士忌、龍舌蘭酒和伏特加等一眾傳統(tǒng)烈酒中脫穎而出。它的刺激性口感雖然讓一些人望而卻步，但是這也正讓它吸引了一批富有冒險(xiǎn)精神的年輕人。

“It’s a powerful fragrance,” Orson Salicetti, a bar owner in Manhattan, told NBC News. “The advantages of baijiu to me are the sweet, mature fruits, nutty and sherry flavors.”

“它的香氣濃烈，” 曼哈頓一家酒吧的老板奧森•沙利斯蒂告訴美國(guó)全國(guó)廣播公司。 “對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)，白酒好就好在它甜美醇熟的果香以及與雪利酒相似的堅(jiān)果口味。”

Interestingly, hipster culture in the US might be the driving force behind the baijiubandwagon. “[Baijiu] is old yet strangely new, and it is popular yet not quite for everyone,” US artist Bradley Theodore told The Wall Street Journal. “I think it will become the Asian tequila.”

有趣的是，美國(guó)的嬉皮士文化也推動(dòng)了這股白酒熱潮。“白酒雖然歷史悠久但卻讓人耳目一新。它盛行，但并不是每個(gè)人都行，” 美國(guó)藝術(shù)家布拉德利•西奧多對(duì)《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》這樣說(shuō)。“我認(rèn)為它會(huì)成為亞洲的龍舌蘭酒。”