![Tray of Eastern Elixir Shui Jing Fang cocktails.](https://q182e5.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/fly-images/29727/Eatern-Elixer-750x435-c.jpg)
The most-consumed spirit in the world—one that represents 35 percent of total global consumption—is a high-proof potable that few people outside of Asia have heard of. It is baijiu, the “official” drink of China, a nation of 1.3 billion people, and where drinking it to celebrate every conceivable occasion is more than a social endeavor; it is a way of life.