Baijiu goes for the gold

The Oscars inspired a bar at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, to add gold powder to a special cocktail for its awards-viewing party later this month.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Ignace Lecleir, general manager of the elegant Temple Restaurant Beijing, says that he can't recall any customer asking for a drink with such a golden touch. He is diplomatically noncommittal on the idea, though "it looks pretty ...", he muses with a slight shrug.

Beijing cocktail guru Leon Lee finishes that thought more adamantly: "Gold adds nothing to the value, only to the price, so I don't care for the idea," he says, dismissing it as a gimmick best suited for karaoke bars.

Like other critics of the idea, he says such liquors command a premium price despite containing a minuscule amount of gold.

Ruan Guangfeng, food-safety expert from China Food Information Center, says the proposal would limit the additions to 0.01g of gold per 500g of baijiu.

"The raw material of 99.99-percent pure gold sells for more than 200 yuan a gram," he adds, "so the value of the gold flakes in one bottle of baijiu may be no more than 2 yuan".

The Beijing News reports that leading Chinese baijiu brands such as Moutai, Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao and Xifeng aren't talking about the proposal. However, a dealer who wished to remain anonymous tells China Daily there is no reason for such top brands to alter their formulas and jeopardize their reputations, even if the gold flake is tasteless.

If the proposal is approved, other dealers agree, it may be struggling smaller distillers that try to capitalize on the novelty.