It's the worst Liquor in the World so I made cocktails from it | How to Drink

[@howtodrink]

Here I go again! But seriously now, hit me with the spirits you want to see me attempt to make decent drinks from, it'll be fun! Maybe! Midnight Local: kzbin.info Twitch: bit.ly/2VsOi3d H2D2: bit.ly/YTH2D2 twitter: bit.ly/H2DTwit instagram: bit.ly/H2dIG Blog: bit.ly/H2DBlog Patreon: bit.ly/H2DPatreon Gear: amzn.to/2LeQCbW The worst liquor on Earth: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5fClKmpopyXfdUsi=0lcVLa2egHOX2z5T Big Trouble in Little China Drink: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5KygoiJqsmZaZosi=J4rDPd9bBoPmRIg3 Can anything good come from this?: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKW3qqaLmcybo8ksi=_srhbKwFNOn2Gt1v

[@NAJALU]

Ay Greg! Have you ever tried Jambú infused Cachaça? Someone was giving out shots of it at Burning Man as a prank. It was heinous, exhilarating, and overwhelming. And I immediately thought "HTD needs to try this!" The flavor itself is spicy and intense. But the jambú flower is what really sets it apart. The extract acts as an analgesic. So it numbs your mouth and throat much like Sichuan Peppercorns and makes everything taste weird. It is frustratingly, kinda hard to get outside of Brazil. But if you can make it happen, I think it would be well worth the adventure! Cheers!

[@shauns5278]

I was shocked to see that you haven't covered Benedictine yet, I personally find it super tasty and quite unique among herbal liquors!

[@ZEVM2]

More Drambuie drinks maybe? Always enjoyed your Rusty Anchor

[@1andonlyMiro]

STILL, the different Finnish spirits like Jaloviina, Gambina, Salmari, Minttuviina, Kyrö gin, Fisu shot, perhaps my favourite Shaman's Terva, and others. Some of them aren't that difficult to use BUT could be really cool. The Terva and Salmari are ones that might challenge you and be AWESOME. 🔥

[@1andonlyMiro]

Terva is Finnish for "tar". It's an actual flavour. And I like it A LOT. It could be a really cool thing for cocktails fr.

[@travismueller8282]

I'm a simple man. I see nothing but a closeup of a truly haunted looking Greg, I click.

[@elios7623]

same

[@jeremymiller5046]

Truly peak

[@Coyoteonthemoon]

Just dudes being guys

[@overthinkingisbad]

"i like it, i will never drink it again." this how you end up as a receipt in the skull cup wondering who would ever order something like it and drink it too

[@lexinwonderland5741]

I wish we got more Skull episodes (or Wheel&Skull...) but I agree! I absolutely loved this episode!

[@Ayse-x8d3u]

I'm running a fantasy bar at a festival, where we are considering offering fowl or poisonous orcish "potions", and this was very very helpful, and I jusgt think you would appreciate knowing that Greg. Toasting Gregs Grog. Thank you. 🍹

[@gergelyritter4412]

Thats nice! I want to, at some point in life, renovate my grandparents' house. There are a lot of unused rooms, because they lost their original functions. I want to turn one into a bar of sorts. I want to stockpile a huge number of liquors and have a big drink menu for my guests. Of course, I would also add stuff like this to the menu. I think it would be a lot of fun offering relatives all sorts of funny drinks.

[@aleisterlavey9716]

I once tried schnapps from topinambur aka Jerusalem artichoke. It's nasty, but not rotten dog carcass nasty.

[@mattia_carciola]

Woah that's cool!

[@jediknight1294]

There's a beautifully rancid digestif I use for an orc drink at a larp, it's an Italian Artichoke spirit, it's faintly green and HIDEOUS. I reccomend it.

[@KaibaKid_]

You makin some sllludge, man?

[@HailKosm]

The tails of spirits tends to contain a high amount of fusel oils, which are often described as spicy or hot off-flavors that give a solvent-like feel. And fusel oil concentrations have been reported as slightly elevated in sorghum rick baijiu so I think its safe to say that they do in fact not remove the tails completely. Fusel oils are an irritant, they are not known to be as toxic as the methanol found in the heads of spirits, but they are not pleasant. the name Fusel in german even refers to specifically bad liquor.

[@Ascendant7Justice]

So could you re-distill it at home to try and get just the hearts and improve it? But at that point, just buy better alcohol.

[@HailKosm]

@@Ascendant7Justice Probably buy better alcohol, I guess if you knew what you were doing you could redistill it, but it would be a much higher proof so you would need to cut it back. From what I have learned by going down the rabbit hole, theres a lot of different types of Baijius. Theres some that are made with mainly rice that are like a really strong sake and then theres some that are high in sorghum which are the most divisive in terms of taste. Kaoling Baijiu although listed as a light aroma type is also described by most chinese as the finest paint thinner indicating it has high fusel oil content. I'm guessing we probably can't get ahold of the really good Baijiu or the more complex varieties because of importation restrictions. Baijiu also is more traditionally drank in like ceremonial practices than recreationally so theres probably that aspect that most Baijiu isn't meant to be consumed in large quantities

[@foolishsparky]

It makes me wonder if the "Really good" Baijiu drink Greg had at Disney World was distilled in a way that cut off the tails. I imagine that when it comes to Disney, they want to curate everything as much as physically possible, so going that extra mile would make sense and wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

[@HailKosm]

@@foolishsparky that is very likely the case, they may also have elected to use one of the rice based baijiu, in which case it's really more of a high proof sake. I also wouldn't be surprised if Disney has specific baijiu distributors that have to adhere to certain quality standards. What I gather is the rice based baijiu is more pleasant to drink than the sorghum based baijiu. There's also like variations in how they are fermented, such as some types of baijiu are sorghum based and fermented in mud pits, others are fermented in terracotta jars. Additionally baijiu does have a related name which translates to burning liquor. So clearly the tails are desired by some people

[@samk522]

Baijiu distillation does indeed play around with the heads and tails more than other spirits. The outright toxic part of the head (i.e. the very first thing that comes out) is separated out from the head that might be used in the final drink. Different flavor profiles or "aromas" are created by fiddling with the percentage of head, heart, and tail, along with changes in the fermentation process. There's actually a type of cheap baijiu called erguotou that's made from *just* heads and tails, if I understand correctly.

[@SquroundSquircle]

Traditionally, kaoliang is served either warmed to reduce the taste profile (and because it’s popular in the Northern provinces where it’s cold) or nearly freezing cold like vodka, to make it smoother. It’s a drink for macho old men and young punk types because it’s cheap and difficult to enjoy. I think it also can be drunk in sips, holding it in the mouth to warm it, and then swallowing. I wonder if you greatly changed the temperature, if a hot toddy or a frozen grasshopper, this would be less challenging? I’d love to see how you experiment with temp on these less appealing spirits in the future.

[@mehdotmeh]

For the Kaoliang and Coke, the ways your were describing it made it sound like a real primordial set of flavors, like a real rough and tumble adventure. So for that reason, maybe you could also name it Journey to the West?

[@josdra238]

"Count Kaoliang" would be a great name for a "cursed" halloween drink.

[@jeromelarson6732]

The Kaount

[@thealchemist-hr8me]

As a distiller I'd definitely echo the opinion of the other distillers, that the tasing notes you described are dead on for a spirit containing "tails." But to give a little more insight for those curious, the flavors origin is generally that of volatile carboxylic acids (think vinegar-acetic acid, cheese-lactic acids, vomit-butyric acid, over ripe fruits, mildew, that kinda stuff) which begin to distill over with the water once a distillation gets closer to being finished and higher temperatures force the breakdown of what's left in the boiling pot. Which is mostly water and other organic compounds by about half way through the distillation. Pulled along with the H2O's polar nature due to those intermolecular forces acting upon each other🧪🔬 Unscrupulous moonshiners will often heavily activated carbon filter the liquor made from "hearts cuts" that've that's been improperly separated or not separated at all. Typically that inferior liquor is then used to make sugary sweet liqueur's such as the infamous "apple pie moonshine." But often there's no covering those volatile acids and their subsequent esters which can only really be removed through a secondary distillation with much tighter cuts made on the run 🤢😆 From what I know about the fermentation and distillation style from that region though is it's exactly that, a tails heavy spirit, but worse... sort of... they do things completely differently from the way it's done here in the west. Typically, they're doing a longer "solid state fermentation" which utilizes a fungus/mold called "Koji" along with yeast to perform both the saccharification of starch into sugar and the fermentation itself vs. us who use the amylase enzymes from malt with hot water to convert the starches into sugars, then ferment with yeast in the liquid state... So, as one could imagine with a mostly solid but highly alcoholic "mash" of sorts takes a slightly different distillation process utilizing a steam chamber built around the semi solid center mass to help vaporize the ethanol to distill out which is also collected at a much higher temperature then here in the US and is also generally not really separated into the same cuts either. They tend to keep A LOT more both heads and tails for a lot of eastern made spirits. So yeah, I'd be willing to bet that's mostly just a chill-filtered, mostly "tails" spirit... as majority of the run is honestly the combination of heads and tails called "feints" which we consider negative congeners and don't often showcase in our spirits ⚗👨‍🔬😅 --🧿RuneShine, Michigan's Norse-Druid Alchemist🧪🥼🔬

[@howtodrink]

Hot damn! Im saving this to read later, great info!

[@thealchemist-hr8me]

@@howtodrink 😅Thank you! 🙏🤘 Always more than happy to share my knowledge and opinion whenever I have insight on a particular topic 😁 You're always more than welcome to consult me whenever you think a scientific distillers' opinion could be useful at all🤷‍♂ I study the microbiology of fermentation and chemistry of distillation, just as hobbies currently... 🔬🧪 Simply because I find the science that creates spirits and their flavors absolutely fascinating. I'm even contemplating after getting my licensed distillery up and running; hopefully within the next couple years, I might end up going back to college for an actual degree in food science too. So I can study it officially and give the knowledge I share more credibility as well ⚗👨‍🔬 But on the topic of consultations and my distillery... I just had a thought. Since I'm a fairly talented distiller, but certainly no mixology genius 🤔 I was wondering, if you'd ever be willing to use your incredibly talented palate for some consulting work for my distillery? 🧐 After I get it legally licensed for spirits in about a year or so, first, of course 🤫 I think the two or our talents could really combine to make some spectacular spirits and cocktails, maybe even one that may end up helping shape the future of the industry for years to come... Just something for you to consider 🙃😋 Regardless, keep up the good work and doing what you're doing. As you're an extremely impressive mixologist/beverage connoisseur IMHO 🥃🍻 --RuneShine, Michigan's Norse-Druid Alchemist✌💚🙃

[@stephaniewarthen]

Welp, all I know is as a teenager in Taiwan, it got me blasted.😅😅

[@Orgs_Rock]

"this may not be safe to drink" he says, while stirring it. man i love this show.

[@onemorecorner]

I lived in China for a while and i still remember that flavour of that stuff till this day. I tried all different versions of it as well. I even tried one in a bar that had a snake and a turtle soaking in it for several years (the bar periodically topped it up with more bijiu as needed). Interestingly, the snake stuff actually tasted better than the non snake stuff. The mustiness of old snake actually masked the wretched taste of the bujiu

[@maximilianswansson1264]

Mix it with baijiu, thai laow khaow, mekong "whiskey" and top up with some Dr pepper and you have a long asian ice tea

[@tenchraven]

That sounds horrible. I would make one, put it in a bottle, and leave it where it can be seen during a sober up program.

[@FunctionallyLiteratePerson]

It is a type of baijiu

[@moosestache1769]

Mekong is better, lol

[@adebayoajibade5236]

Long Thailand Iced Tea?

[@snrkybrd]

long thai iced tea: all of that, baily's, chai latte mix

[@GothMogfoo]

Abbreviated tasting notes for all three drinks: This is somebody's kink.

[@addisonmartin3200]

lol and accurate.

[@U.Inferno]

The fact this is even a product to begin with

[@samdoehart1333]

15:55 In case anyone is curious, here's the context for the phrase "Beyond the pale"! The noun pale, from the Latin palum, meant “a stake for fences” or “a fence made from such stakes.” By extension it came to be used for an area confined by a fence and for any boundary, limit, or restriction, both of these meanings dating from the late 1300s. The pale referred to in the idiom is usually taken to mean the English Pale, the part of Ireland under English rule, and therefore, as perceived by its rulers, within the bounds of civilization.

[@matthewcox7985]

Just don't let the results of some of these drinks wind up beyond the pail and all over the floor!

[@crow-jane]

My introduction to the concept was the “Jewish pale of settlement” in the old Russian empire.

[@samdoehart1333]

@@crow-jane It's likely that was derived from the concept of the English Pale of Settlement in Ireland. The Russian Pale seems to have come into being during the 18th century, while the English Pale seems to date back to the 12th century.

[@ryanahr2267]

Oh, cool. I often wonder about a lot of old sayings, but somehow this one never really made me curious. I love it when the comments section drops knowledge like this :)

[@AttacMage]

I have always assumed that pale simply meant dead.

[@lucasmoore3907]

"Hiding the flavors of Kaoliang" More like sweeping the dead dog under the rug lol

[@mememaster5748]

That thumbnail is staring deep into my soul

[@SamAronow]

Let's hope he keeps it.

[@LordSasquatch63]

For naming the Kaoliang and Coke drink I'd have to suggest the "Wax Tadpole", from the original phonetic transliteration of Coca-Cola, before the company provided an official translation, which ended up spelling out something like "bite the wax tadpole" in Chinese characters.

[@uncreativehuman7595]

One request I do have and think would be fun: Take the tasting notes from old episodes you might not remember as well, and make drinks based purely on those. I figure it would be fun to see just how 'unhelpful' they really are in understanding a drink, and what might come of it.

[@ryanorr6467]

New series: can coke fix it? - will coke fix (insert garbage alcohol here).

[@moosestache1769]

Coke makes Mekong decent, yeah.

[@Fyrmer]

I'm told a Malört and Coke isn't the worst thing ever.

[@BackwardsPancake]

It sure works wonders with cheap red wine.

[@VelvetTeacake]

"Gunpoint Export" is a fantastic cocktail name ❤

[@LepidoliteMica]

If he wanted to go with the military theme, the Dogmeat General would be another great name.

[@matthewcox7985]

Kaoliang, Malört, and Fernet-Branca: The Sensory Overload. Might be usable as an emetic. I enjoy Greg's tasting notes more than actually drinking any cocktail! 🤣

[@Pxtl]

No Campari?

[@oisinowens7786]

The first thing I thought of when you mentioned the salty notes in the coke was to try it with peanuts in the glass, Coke and peanuts is already a thing and the lime with it then funk from the kaoling could almost give some of the flavour notes of a pad thai. Weird thing for a cocktail but could be interesting

[@nicknorthcutt7680]

I think you're onto something

[@The_Keeper]

26:26 What you need here might very well be a Cinnamon extract/infusion. The Cinnemaldehyde would probably bind with the fusel oils and temper them, or even chemically "defuse" them, and allow you to keep the unique notes from the lime, kaoliang and coke combo, without the late-arriving wet dog/carpet aftertaste.

[@dwarfyandfriends]

I don't even drink and this is one of the most entertaining channels I've ever watched

[@YuyukeVA]

8:56 - "I am, honestly, from a content perspective, disappointed." got me good

[@howtodrink]

Gotta tell it like it is

[@8blademaster]

For the Gunpoint Export drink, the Zhanmadao would work. It means "horse chopping saber" and was used heavily with the Song dynasty's campaigns against the Jin. Otherwise the Long March for Mao's Long March would've also worked.

[@taryndunnavent5540]

Lol I used to work at a country club. Some Japanese businessmen brought a bottle to share with some local businessmen. They kept pressuring them to take shots one of the local guys got so drunk he puked in the banquet room and all down the hallway then he ran and pushed the golf cart kid and stole the cart. We found him passed out in a church parking lot. He came back the next day and tipped me $300.

[@malcolmhalvarson2118]

I like just making a club soda highball with it. The taste is concentrated, so it really stands up to the dilution. Becomes like a glas of sparkling, funky, sake

[@NAJALU]

Strong agree! I tried this when my liquor cabinet ran dry a few weeks back. Baijiu and soda was the surprising winner of all the random things I threw together. Idk if it is like Durian or cilantro and some people just can't taste the off notes. But for me, Baijiu has always been a pleasant drink. Of course, I started on it by getting absolutely plastered in China on a college trip. So maybe, I leaped past any initial hangups. 😂

[@lwilso9152]

Huh, the cilantro take is a fascinating explanation, you’d have to have a genetic predisposition to like or dislike the stuff based on your tastebuds. That would be impossible to test for tho, who would volunteer for such a peer reviewed study?? “Please sign up to drink possibly the worst drink you’ve ever tasted in your life for science!”

[@thishonestgrifter]

@@lwilso9152that would be very easy to sell to collage students

[@samk522]

​​@@NAJALU It took me a good couple tries, but yeah, baijiu wasn't too hard for me to acclimate to. Durian would be tougher, I think. I've only had a durian-flavored candy, but that alone was pretty foul.

[@iang0th]

@@lwilso9152 I couldn't point you to any scientific studies, but the common popular explanation is that there is a gene which makes cilantro "taste like soap" to some people. Personally, I do hate cilantro, and although I wouldn't say it tastes like soap (not that I've tasted all that much soap in my life), it does have overpowering "off notes" which most people apparently can't taste, or at least don't mind. Sometimes I can detect something pleasant and sort of lemony _underneath_ the dominant flavor of cilantro, and the seeds of the plant (i.e. coriander) have that pleasant flavor without the off notes.

[@weevilsnitz]

I'll note, this is a type of baijiu and there are good varieties of baijiu, as there are good varieties of most things. Keep in mind baijiu is traditionally a participatory group drink typically served in shot glasses that are only 11ml, so you'll have many little shots but not big swigs or 1.5oz shots. I agree that bad lower-priced baijiu certainly seems like it includes some of the off-still cut, but I think it has flavors from the sorghum that would go really well if general whiskey mash bills included some amount of it.

[@VitalyDryburgh]

I describe baijiu as a 50 50 gamble, you either get a very high prof oily almost gin like spirit Or paint thinner And there is no inbetween I tried a good 20 or so baijiu varieties in china and the kweichow moutai and the wuliangye were my two favorites

[@EzraKnickelbine]

hey i have to say watching you find joy in making interesting things with this was so so much fun to watch compared to "ew gross this tastes bad." your willingness to play and explore in these spaces is really what makes this series great and i wish that thoughtfulness was present in more stuff in general!

[@jajssblue]

This episode is criminally under watched for the pain endured. Greg, I joined patreon to help compensate.

[@Soph-hr7rj]

This thumbnail gave comfort to a weirdly mooded acid trip. thanks for staring back too greg

[@cleanerben9636]

you could do a cement mixer with it and call it the tofu-dreg. Give it to your worst enemy, or your mates for a laugh.

[@kylinsky]

Never tried this, and never will.. but the tasting notes sound like a concentrated version of the "barnyard" flavor notes that are actually desirable in certain styles of beer and wine.

[@dominikw4618]

That was actually my first impression when I tried it. It's got very strong "barnyard" flavours. Kind of vegetal but musky. I think I'm one of the only people here that likes to drink it once in a while. But to be fair, "wet dog" is also a fitting description. I'd recommend Greg to visit Taiwan at some point and check their usage of it. It's not extremely common in cocktails but there are some bars that know how to mix it well.

[@the_senate8050]

I feel like a split base with a peaty scotch would either make the most authentic sewer flavoured drink possible... or some wonderful synthesis.

[@fredericchristie3472]

I had the same thought with a super funky rum.

[@crispysteve42]

I'm hoping this episode does well enough to get a sequel, I'd love to see you exploring a couple more cocktail styles and building on what you found out in this episode

[@SamAronow]

30:10 Goodness no, Greg. The Chinese monarchy was conclusively overthrown in 1911. The Nationalist-Communist conflict only began in 1927, when Chiang Kai-Shek corralled most of the regional warlords to recognize the central government in Nanking.

[@sirianrune198]

"Nationalist-Tankie" FTFY. A stateless, classless, moneyless society was the last thing that these "Communists" were advocating for.

[@youmukonpaku3168]

indeed. The closest thing to a pro-monarchist faction was whatever the fuck Pu Yi was trying to do, when the Japanese weren't running his "country" for him.

[@walterbunn280]

The heads of a distillation are the things that are dangerous. That contains wood alcohol (methanol) Tails, aren't generally dangerous, but they don't taste good. With everything that Greg has said, i think Kaoliang would be a good base for a Shrub Drink. Shrubs are Sours that use Vinegar or Kombucha instead of a sour citrus juice. After that, you could try salt modifications. If the Kaoliang has an amine note, you want to keep the pH low, to break up the rot and allow it to reform into something good. Calcium Chloride is bile-flavored. Which doesn't sound good initially, but depending on how much ammonia the Kaoliang has in it, it could turn into an absinthe flavor without much effort and the calcium would smear some of the flavors together. Finally, you could try Ammonia Chloride as your salt.... that should impart an absinthe flavor.

[@jeluenhayo2410]

Oooh, I absolutely love this episodes and moments, where Greg finds something truly interesting and fascinating - not just making cocktails by mixing and matching different usual flavours but creating totally new ones, the majestic chemistry between several things that make something innovative!

[@DemBigOlEyes]

I have full faith u can make at least ONE palatable drink from this monstrosity.

[@sugarandspice4815]

He did once before, a long time ago. He kept laughing at how dismayed he was that he liked the drink. I forget the video, but he was adamant that you have to come at Kaoliang "with guns blazing," because there were other powerful flavors.

[@Stormboli-]

@@sugarandspice4815 It's from the 'worst bottles in his bar' video. The first one, with parrot bay and screwball.

[@sugarandspice4815]

@Stormboli- Oh God, the Parrot Bay Pineapple Rum! Thank you for reminding me, that shit sounded horrendous.

[@dacomputernerd4096]

Oh no, the stuff from the Malibu-ish Pineapple Old Fashioned! ​@@sugarandspice4815

[@crow-jane]

I’m sort of grateful to have never experienced a liquor I thought might make for a good episode in this series, but for the sake of engagement I’ll say that I’d love an episode of black drinks in time for Halloween.

[@Hammer9001]

The Spirit of Doom sounds like a great name. The two I would suggest are Feni (and Indian Cashew Fruit Spirit) and Arak (a Middle Eastern Anise liquor that you are supposed to dilute with water which turns it white. Something cool to show on the show). Also, with Kaoliang, have you tried to "Last Word" it?

[@koganusan]

Arak sounds like turkish Raki and greek Ouzo. with the anise taste and turning white.

[@Yvash]

Feni remains the absolute foulest liquor I have ever imbibed, and I have drunk various baijius and a Russian samagon that made my tear ducts bleed. Nothing prepares you for the sewage flavour of feni.

[@jacobjohnson4072]

​@koganusan Yeah, having a bottle of Ouzo on my own liquor shelf, that does sound familiar

[@parallax3886]

Taiwan has a 'delicacy' that is popular in the night markets that is fermented and fried tofu. The flavor profile of Kaoliang sounds like that. BTW, it's called 'stinky tofu' and it lives up to it's name. I walked by the booth and it about knocked me over it smelled so bad.

[@memoryphd]

It's literally called Stinky Tofu! It's... quite something.

[@pwojo9776]

I feel like a bloody mary could've had some potential. The sourness, the spiciness, and the tang of it I think could've done something palatable with the turpentine and wet dog notes.

[@alexandermorgan5958]

This episode reminds me of something you said back in a 'customer is always wrong' episode. You mixed Chambord with a few things after the old-fashioned and you said there might be something to mine in the idea of substituting very sweet alcohols for the simple in recipes. This Coca-Cola and Kaoliang concoction strikes that cord a bit.

[@andrewgreenwood9068]

14:31 ever since high school chemistry the sound of things banging on glass has made me anxious

[@DEGriffSoc]

Some people must like the taste. Recently, I met up with a friend who had once sneered in mild disgust at me ordering an aperol spritz because he can't stand the taste. This same friend then went and ordered a *buttermilk and soda water* and enjoyed drinking it!! People are weird :D.

[@tenchraven]

🤢

[@samk522]

Where did you go that even had buttermilk available to order at all? My grandma used to drink it, but it never seemed like an "order in a restaurant" sort of thing even then. I can see the logic in buttermilk and soda though. They mix milk, soda, and flavorings in India. Doodh, I think it's called. Buttermilk isn't too big of a leap from that.

[@DEGriffSoc]

@@samk522 We were at a cafe in a spa in Vienna. Buttermilk and soda is apparently a common spa drink in Austria.

[@tommihommi1]

the buttermilk you get in austria is something entirely different from the American buttermilk drinking it is something quite divisive, though. Many people like drinking it at a Alm up in the mountains after a hike, many people absolutely hate it.

[@elliebellie1983og]

They keep making it so it must be popular in China… maybe it’d be better suited to western palates with more Asian flavours? 🤔

[@SamuelNelson]

When greg was making the negroni, I was thinking it might be interesting to swap the campari with fernet (and then I usually use an amaro in place of the vermouth) - I usually like fernet in negronis when I'm using an earthier base spirit. It was cool to see Greg reach for the fernet at the end and validate some part of my instincts! :D

[@warsaw3784]

A suggestion for the coke drink, The Flying Tiger, combining an american soft drink with a chinese liquor, reminds me of the American Volunteer group in china in 1941

[@mjpals]

How is a Kaoling and Coke NOT simply called a China Libre?

[@laureeeent]

WOW great name ! -420 on your social score

[@Project337]

I mean, it's Taiwanese kaoliang, so is Taiwan Libre too on the nose...?

[@jaredmiller2128]

You beat me to it!

[@barfrost007]

At around 8:00, all I could think of was "like putting an air freshener in an old morgue" :P That aside, as one who does not drink, Kaoliang sounds like the essence of some sort of sentient mushroom that takes offense to the eating of its brethren and has thus decided to take revenge upon humanity. Either that, or a mortician decided to try their hand at this whole fermentation business because "its close enough to their job, how hard could it be?"

[@HisVirusness]

Yes! Finally, the day has come!

[@TheSauceYouGetLostin]

The taste profile of the Kaoliang feels like it's asking for a spookified cocktail something maybe horror themed, fog covered graveyard, living dead, eerie swamp

[@andrewwolf7758]

Great episode Greg! Loved the transitions and graphics in this one. Super fun to watch you refine these drinks just by using your palette and knowledge of other drinks

[@8bucksForcannedBread]

I havent seen yall in years and as soon as i start binging these videos again a new one gets posted😂

[@Deadite9405]

I actually played around with lemon in a Negroni myself a week or so ago. There was a little bit of lemon juice, maybe a bar spoon's worth, left in a lemon that I had already squeezed for a different cocktail, and I spontaneously decided to add it to the Negroni I just made to use it up. Despite being only a small amount, it added an entire new dimension to the cocktail. The brightness and acidity of the lemon did a fantastic job of moderating the bitterness of the Campari - not hiding it, but completing the chord. When I tried it later with more lemon juice, though, it completely left Negroni territory and became more like a Last Word. That was good drink in its own right, but it's fundamentally a different drink rather than just putting a twist on a Negroni. ...And unfortunately there's something akin to the uncanny valley in between these two points. If you don't get enough lemon juice to properly pull it into being a sour, the lemon juice's underlying bitterness that usually gets hidden by its brightness and acidity starts showing through and compounds with the Campari, while also masking a lot of the other flavors you'd get in a Negroni. I actually love Campari, but this was just way too bitter. With the bitterness and all the citrus flavors, it literally tasted like some sort of cleaning solution.

[@Suninrags]

What's the exact ratio you've found?

[@Deadite9405]

@@Suninrags Not very much. The best result I had was the first time, which was just about a barspoon. One to two barspoons seems like it would be enough. It's probably something where the exact ratio for an ideal mix is going to vary from person to person, similar to how sweet different people prefer their old fashioneds.

[@Morethanlikelyaperson]

I've been waiting for this one Greg man. Ohhhhh yeah.

[@robinohara226]

"I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who is seeking this flavor" China is a very large country, Greg,

[@robinohara226]

"some people like durian" CMON MAN

[@dvldog_]

"Bright, tart wet dog stink." Please, tell me more! Sounds delicious! 😂

[@Hyreia]

I'm happy to hear you're more reliant on patreon than KZbin's algorithm. ❤

[@GA-xc9ub]

Bravo Greg - this is the best, and funniest, of all your 'gross out drinks' series

[@EvalynRoberts]

Love this series! It's awesome watching you use your knowledge of flavours and mixology to create something drinkable and/or good.

[@lwardrop2453]

I love your wife’s/gf’s captions for your commentary (sorry if I’m getting information mixed up, it’s been a while since I’ve been on the channel)

[@Rutgerman95]

IIRC it's Meredith's wife/gf doing the editing

[@Quinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn]

Fantastic episode Greg! I won't spoil the results but I'm proud of you.

[@danielcorey377]

My first and pretty much only exposure to this alcohol was in grad school, a professor brought it for a promotion after-party, and let me tell you, as someone who spent some time working on a chemistry lab, the flavor tastes like what a putrid/acrid solvent cabinet smells.

[@JinnKhaar]

I haven't seen anyone else comment on it, but the shift from 24 FPS to 30 FPS has been super well done and I like the extra movement we see Greg do when describing things.

[@howtodrink]

That’s funny, I really prefer the look of 24, I made the switch for purely technical reasons, but I’m glad people like it!

[@zennvirus7980]

The names I think would fit these... concoctions would be: 1. "Pacific Patch Margarita". 2. "Summer Landfill". 3. "The Forbidden Fruit", "The Bitter Charge".

[@hannahsoldner4402]

So glad you added the Fernet to the Kaoling and Coke. I was like “Please please add Fernet!” Also glad you tried saline because I was so curious after the margarita! We had a bottle of baiju at my old office and I tried so hard to acquire a taste for it. A couple coworkers did, but I couldn’t….

[@MogoPrime]

Bless you for finding a way through this. And also not going with the least awful kaoliang from your tasting session. You're a brave man! And a seasoned flavorsmith, apparently

[@vitaminsherbert]

This one is a treat, Greg! It was nice seeing you get really scientific with this one! ☺️☺️

[@CyrusBluebird]

Hello, the Slovenian is here again. You noted Eastern Europe, old term, kinda dying. But if it works for you, fine. It's a kind of "rakia" that I suggested, an unaged brandy made from juniper berries. It's less a spirit to enjoy and more emergency breaks for when you have a very upset digestive tract, while tasting like lingering poison, I imagine turpentine ish. You'll find it under the name "Brinjevec" [Breen-yea-vea-ts]. There are maniacs that age these, I haven't tried them. Also you might use this like absinthe: misting or coating glassware than pouring, because your body rejects it so hard.

[@Rutgerman95]

Maybe it's me being a West European (DDutch to be exact) but I never got the idea that East Europe as a term was getting out of fashion

[@CyrusBluebird]

@@Rutgerman95 The term started as a catch-all term in Austrian empire's universities term for "Lands needs of culture, as they're uncivilized, and without noted culture or wealth" mind this is about as old as Marx's writing, so it's about as out of date. Was repurposed as "Russia's domain" in the cold war, which is an insult, like if saying the low countries belonged to Germany. Also the Austrian universities were updating and expanding the studies, as they kept getting new info and lecturers from the lands. Also Slovenia is by majority west of Vienna, so how does that make sense to call it "east"?

[@Rutgerman95]

@@CyrusBluebird Because borders, especially cultural ones, don't neatly conform to neat horizontal or vertical lines. That being said, I think East Europe still makes sense for a general cultural grouping. I'll ask some online friends from Poland and Ukraine, see what they think about it. For all I know that term has actually fallen out of favor in... well, the East of Europe

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

9:00 Durian, especially certain cultivars of durian, can smell intimidating with a kind of rotten onion stink. However, once you get past that initial reflex and actually taste the fruit, that stink somehow becomes a kind of aroma, a sophisticated undertone to how the fruit's taste and consistency are. Which, to me on my first tasting of durian were similar to a custard flavoured with amaretto, if there's such a thing? And then I quickly learned to crave durian. All of which goes to say, those who like durian don't like the taste of rot.

[@demetergrasseater]

Might just be me but I've tried durian candies and they always taste like sweaty sugar-coated garlic socks

[@nataliegath395]

To me durian tastes like mushy pears soaked in gasoline. Like, the basal level is not bad under the "gasoline fumes right in your nose" thing.

[@brandonp7503]

I've heard that.

[@dsabo]

If durian tastes like gasoline it's rotten. Fresh, high quality durian tastes like creamy, garlicy, pineapple salsa with varying balance on the bitter-vs-sweet continuum depending on the cultivar and individual fruit. There's a lot of relatively crappy durian sold, particularly in the Philippines and Thailand (but also elsewhere) that would make you really not like durian. But a very fresh durian from a good plantation in Malaysia can be worth the high prices they command. It's really unique and special.

[@Dangerdangerwillrobinson]

I was offered durian filled profiteroles when I was in Singapore. They had an onion aftertaste, but otherwise I thought they were pretty good. I think my ‘Spore friends were slightly disappointed that the foreigner didn’t gag.

[@summerlaverdure]

saying a drink has a tape delay is an awesome description

[@pdxgrantc]

In terms of safety. If the distiller did leave the tails in then it would still be perfectly safe. Due to the nature of fractional distilling you should always throw away the first bit that comes off the still (heads). If this isn't done the final product can have a fraction of wood alcohol in it (methanol).

[@Andrethegiant2008]

How to make a kaoliang cocktail: Step 1: Don't. Step 2: There's no step 2. Congratulations, you did it!

[@gamemasteranthony2756]

That pic of Greg in the thumbnail is staring into my SOOOOOOOOOOOUL… Also that description of what you put into your margarita reminds me of that one scene in Archer. “FIVE INGREDIENTS! Tequila! Cointreau! Lime juice! Ice! Kosher salt!”

[@noachav]

Recently became a patron, but I want to watch the regular versions of your videos, too

[@Hyreia]

When you're at the ponyville ciderfest, someone brought a bottle of Unicum. Because of the name. The consensus was that it tastes like tobacco spit and malort. That's why I don't mind malort now. It's not a terrible alcohol but I don't know what you would do with the tobacco notes.

[@Yvash]

Unicum is a herbal like Jaegermeister. It does come in various flavours though, like 'Silva' which is plum, and that stuff is genuinely delicious. Now the actual national drink of Hungary, Palinka, would definitely constitute a challenge for Greg!

[@Hyreia]

@@Yvash that sounds interesting! Also yeah, the plum version sounds way better

[@MegaMrDT]

Picked up a bottle of this Kaoliang when I was home for Christmas last year because it was the cheapest baijiu at the local store. Drank it from the bottle, great stuff - I've seen so many people try baijiu and hate it, but nothing else tastes like it!

[@KontarAlt]

That tumblail is the greatest hook i have ever seen

[@SWATBOT]

He is actually giving tasting notes can be applied to the scarlet rot swamp from elden ring

[@NeoMegaMan]

Damn it Greg. I love this show and this channel a lot. I was waiting on *pins and needles* for this episode, regardless of what came from it, and it didn't really disappoint... but man This one might be the hook that lands you another Patreon sub because *I GOTTA KNOW WHAT THAT FOURTH ONE WAS!* xD

[@mikeg2306]

Got some as a gift. If I have an unpalatable spirit I typically try to bury it in a Manhattan. Totally did not work with this stuff.

[@chanman819]

Use it for cooking. Splash it into a stir fry with soy sauce and a bit of sugar.

[@cooldog1994]

as a gift??? please tell me it was at a white elephant 😂

[@nerdman8428]

Greg vividly describing one of the most repulsive things he has ever consumed Greg: "So I'm gonna try to make a margarita with it." Me: *surprised blinking*

[@VermilionMage]

"Yeah, barkeep? Gimme a "Decisive Tang Strategic Victory". My wife just left me and I need more suffering.

[@werterbot]

After how well the Kaoliang and coke went, I want to see you try a 'liang island iced tea, if only for the pun 😂

[@hilltophorror]

A spicy bloody mary with Kaoliang called a pet sematary would have been golden.

[@lactofermentation]

Oh, man. Use something a little more red for that second one and you can call it the Scarlet Rot.

[@tenchraven]

I was thinking a good drink for this stuff would be a shot of this, a shot of the first one he tried in the last video, a double of the cheapest peppermint schnapps, and fill the glass with orange juice. Call it the "morning after", the taste of a hang over with toothpaste and mouth wash, and then... you forget. And pour some OJ.

[@ricdintino9502]

Name suggestions - Low Tide, Landfill Breeze, Animal Shelter Dumpster, Dog Groomer's Revenge, The Rendering Plant

[@leaguesmanoframsgate]

Number 3: "Earthy, with a metallic tang" you're tasting blood, the kaoliang has Smited Thee

[@howtodrink]

Yeah honestly blood is probably not a bad tasting note on this

[@mattf9096]

Maybe look into getting an Air Still to run the Kaoliang through and see if cutting it better actually gets rid of the wet dog notes. They're made for small batches and are pretty much turn it on and go machines without all the delicate balance of a "true" still. Beyond this unique use case, I'm sure you'll find it useful for experimentation in future episodes.

[@socialswine3656]

The channel "Different Spirits" has some pretty good, informative videos on the very unorthodox and complex ways Baiju is distilled. Very interesting.

[@joegeomancer6978]

I love everything you do and watch every single video I think a great idea for a video would be to address scarcity of chartreuse by taste testing certain alternatives see which gets closest

[@wofle39]

On the mention of things to try and Eastern Europe - Zwack Unicum. A hungarian herbal liquor that's both sweet and bitter, I've tried to make it work and between me and some friends we've come up with some things that were drinkable (and garnished with cauliflower), but I would love to see you try your hand at making something with that. It's quite a unique taste.

[@mannyd5395]

If the spirit truly is that of rot and decay, would it make a great addition for another RotLD cocktail? Perhaps the "dead dog" in it could make a nice flavor for a "Cerberus" cocktail from resident evil?

[@michaelimbesi2314]

I just had an excellent cocktail called a Chinese Odyssey that contained Green Peppercorn, Ming River Baiju, tequila, and lime. It was pleasant, well-balanced, and the flavor was even a bit delicate.

[@plantingasbulldog2009]

Ngl, when you made the Malort video I bought some, tried it, and now I drink it straight up (in addition to some of the lovely cocktails you discovered). So I'm actually kinda interested to try Kaoliang now.

[@AdderMoray]

Your face while you were doing that first shake spoke *volumes*

[@Pxtl]

Putting together ideas from other commenters: #1: Morguerita #2: Beetlejuice beetle juice (look up what the red carmine dye in Campari used to be made of) #3: Long March Iced Tea