90+ Alcoholic Drinks in Chinese (Plus Chinese Drinking Culture Tips)
Want to really impress your Chinese friends? Next time you go to a bar, order a mojito or cosmo…. in Mandarin Chinese.
Here are over 90 words for alcoholic drinks in Chinese, from wines to beers to famous brands.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Chinese Vocabulary for Wine
Wine—along with a few other types of alcohol, such as Baijiu and herbal liquors—is common to drink in a business setting. Red wine in particular represents auspiciousness and prosperity.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 葡萄酒 | pú táo jiǔ | Wine |
| 霞多丽 | xiá duō lì | Chardonnay |
| 赤霞珠 | chì xiá zhū | Cabernet |
| 梅洛 | méi luò | Merlot |
| 黑皮诺 | hēi pí nuò | Pinot Noir |
| 拉菲 | lā fēi | Lafite |
| 长相思 | cháng xiāng sī | Sauvignon Blanc |
| 雷司令 | léi sī lìng | Riesling |
| 佳丽酿 | jiā lì niàng | Carignan |
| 宝石解百纳 | bǎo shí jiě bǎi nà | Ruby Cabernet |
| 桑娇维赛 | sāng jiāo wéi sài | Sangiovese |
| 西拉 | xī lā | Syrah |
| 西万尼 | xī wàn ní | Silvaner |
| 波尔多 | bō ěr duō | Bordeaux |
| 琼瑶浆 | qióng yáo jiāng | Traminer |
| 香槟 | xiāng bīn | Champagne |
Chinese Vocabulary for Liquor
Chinese people also drink liquor quite often—especially Baijiu. You can find it at weddings, celebrating business deals and promotions, in social settings with friends, Lunar New Year and more.
Here’s an interesting video on Baijiu and why it’s so loved in China.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 酒 | jiǔ | Liquor |
| 利口酒 | lì kǒu jiǔ | Liqueur |
| 开胃酒 | kāi wèi jiǔ | Aperitif |
| 伏特加 | fú tè jiā | Vodka |
| 金酒 | jīn jiǔ | Gin |
| 威士忌 | wèi shì jì | Whiskey |
| 朗姆酒 | lǎng mǔ jiǔ | Rum |
| 龙舌兰酒 | lóng shé lán jiǔ | Tequila |
| 干邑 | gān yì | Cognac |
| 马天尼 | mǎ tiān ní | Martini |
| 白兰地 | bái lán dì | Brandy |
| 白酒 | bái jiǔ | Chinese spirits |
| 清酒 | qīng jiǔ | Sake |
Chinese Vocabulary for Cocktails
You can find many of the same cocktails in China as you can in other places of the world, from margaritas to daiquiris. Here’s a video about a bar in Shanghai—called Epic Bar—that’s known for its amazing cocktails.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 鸡尾酒 | jī wěi jiǔ | Cocktails |
| 长岛冰茶 | cháng dǎo bīng chá | Long Island Iced Tea |
| 玛格丽特 | mǎ gé lì tè | Margherita |
| 大都会 | dà dōu huì | Cosmopolitan |
| 龙舌兰日出 | lóng shé lán rì chū | Tequila Sunrise |
| 美态 | měi tài | Mai Tai |
| 草莓戴吉利酒 | cǎo méi dài jí lì jiǔ | Strawberry Daiquiri |
| 椰林飘香 | yē lín piāo xiāng | Pina Colada |
| 激情海岸 | jī qíng hǎi àn | Sex on the Beach |
| 莫吉托 | mò jí tuō | Mojito |
| 血腥玛丽 | xuè xīng mǎ lì | Bloody Mary |
| 白俄罗斯 | bái é luó sī | White Russian |
| 金汤力 | jīn tāng lì | Gin and Tonic |
| 金菲士 | jīn fēi shì | Gin Fizz |
| 含羞草 | hán xiū cǎo | Mimosa |
| 蓝色夏威夷 | lán sè xià wēi yí | Blue Hawaiian |
| 新加坡司令 | xīn jiā pō sī lìng | Singapore Sling |
| 曼哈顿 | màn hā dùn | Manhattan |
| 夏日宾治 | xià rì bīn zhì | Summer Punch |
| 红粉佳人 | hóng fěn jiā rén | Pink Lady |
| 天使之吻 | tiān shǐ zhī wěn | Angel’s Kiss |
Chinese Vocabulary for Shots
Shots are common to take in China, especially during social gatherings. Drinking with friends is supposed to strengthen the friendship bond.
This video is a hilarious guide to Chinese drinking culture featuring a group of friends taking shots of Baijiu. Just beware if you’re sensitive to language.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 短饮 | duǎn yǐn | Shots |
| 雅格炸弹 | yǎ gé zhà dàn | Jaeger Bomb |
| 神风 | shén fēng | Kamikaze |
| 柠檬糖果 | níng méng táng guǒ | Lemon Drop |
The key to learning more about Chinese drinking culture is immersing yourself as much as you can. Talk to your native speaker friends about it—if you don’t have any, find some using apps like HelloTalk—and watch Chinese media, like movies and TV shows.
An easy way to do this is by looking up a few of these alcoholic drinks in FluentU’s video-based Chinese dictionary, which then pulls up videos where the word is used in context.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
Chinese Vocabulary for Beer
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 啤酒 | pí jiǔ | Beer |
| 喜力 | xǐ lì | Heineken |
| 科罗娜 | kē luó nà | Corona |
| 百威 | bǎi wēi | Budweiser |
| 百威淡啤 | bǎi wēi dàn pí | Budlight |
| 嘉士伯 | jiā shì bó | Carlsberg |
| 高仕 | gāo shì | Grolsch |
| 朝日 | zhāo rì | Asahi |
| 虎牌 | hǔ pái | Tiger |
| 蓝带 | lán dài | Blue Ribbon |
| 青岛 | qīng dǎo | Tsingdao |
| 雪花 | xuě huā | Snow |
| 三得利 | sān dé lì | Suntory |
Chinese Vocabulary for Alcohol Brands
Did you know brand names can change based on the language? Here’s how to say some of the most famous alcohol brands in Chinese.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 雪树 | xuě shù | Belvedere |
| 灰鹅 | huī é | Grey Goose |
| 苏联红 | sū lián hóng | Stoli |
| 坎特一号 | kǎn tè yī hào | Ketel One |
| 绝对 | jué duì | Absolut |
| 孟买蓝宝石 | mèng mǎi lán bǎo shí | Bombay Sapphire |
| 百加得 | bǎi jiā dé | Bacardi |
| 马利宝 | mǎ lì bǎo | Malibu |
| 摩根船长 | mó gēn chuán zhǎng | Captain Morgan |
| 唐吉诃德 | táng jí hē dé | Don Quixote |
| 豪帅金快活 | háo shuài jīn kuài huó | Jose Cuervo Gold |
| 培恩 | péi ēn | Patron |
| 轩尼诗 | xuān ní shī | Hennessy |
| 尊尼获加 | zūn ní huò jiā | Johnnie Walker |
| 芝华士 | zhī huá shì | Chivas |
| 酩悦香槟 | mǐng yuè xiāng bīn | Moet & Chandon |
| 泰廷爵 | tài tíng jué | Taittinger |
| 马爹利 | mǎ diē lì | Martell |
| 人头马 | rén tóu mǎ | Remy Martin |
| 梅兹卡尔 | méi zī kǎ ěr | Mezcal |
| 斯米尔诺夫 / 皇冠伏特加 | sī mǐ ěr nuò fū / huáng guàn fú tè jiā | Smirnoff |
| 杰克丹尼 | jié kè dān ní | Jack Daniel’s |
| 张裕 | zhāng yù | Changyu |
| 茅台 | máo tái | Moutai |
You should be more than ready to kick back, order a drink and have fun at a Chinese bar, business meeting or social gathering with these 90+ words.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.
FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.
FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.
FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.
FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.
The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
