Coffee lovers can also sample coffee and baijiu, he said. After the coffee is added, the color stays brown, but the baijiu mixes with the coffee to create a new fusion flavor that is not too overpowering.
"Whether it's going to be popular, I don't know. But if people say they really enjoy this new product, then that's the power of the project," said Boyce. "[It's] fine if they don't like it. My goal is to let people know what baijiu is and try it. It has the number one sales volume in the world, rather than whiskey, gin, and other liquor."
He said most foreigners outside of China don't know what baijiu is, which makes promoting baijiu challenging.
"It's going to take 10 or 20 years and hundreds of people joining in to promote baijiu to the world," he said.
Going beyond ganbei
The more baijiu Van Leeuwen drinks, the more Chinese baijiu culture he gets to know. For him, there are plenty of occasions that call for ganbei.
"For example, when I drink baijiu during a casual occasion, I just do ganbei and drink. However, if the occasion is a business dinner, I usually go around the table to toast with every seated person. I also need to say something before doing ganbei, such as giving a self-introduction," he said.
In his mind, ganbei culture is interesting and useful for conducting business in China. But, some foreign consumers are not buying the ganbei culture.
Glenn Schuitman shares the same outlook. Schuitman, 45, is the co-founder of POP-UP BEIJING. He came to Beijing from New Zealand a decade ago, and is one of the bar members participating in World Baijiu Day.
Schuitman said the only disadvantage of baijiu is its high alcohol content. "Ganbei culture is fun, particularly with friends. But it doesn't often have a happy ending," he said. "It is difficult to appreciate when you drink it so quickly."
Schuitman uses the Western way of drinking wine to promote baijiu to his customers. "At POP-UP BEIJING, we actually have a 'no ganbei' policy, because we believe baijiu, which is just like wine and spirits, can be enjoyed much more when being sipped and savored."
Besides sipping straight baijiu, Boyce thought up many other ways to promote baijiu to potential consumers. "Some people drink whiskey straight, 100 percent. Some drink it with two drops of water, and some drink it with coke. Considering that, we want to increase baijiu choices, such as drink it with cocktail, tea or coffee."
Working in Chinese wine industry, one of Boyce's jobs is to promote Chinese wine. When Boyce promoted Chinese wine 10 years ago, people said they would never drink Chinese wine. But things have changed. People contact Boyce every day to ask him about Chinese wine.
"Why did they change? Because we introduced it to many foreigners, their thinking started to change over time," he said. Boyce has taken a similar approach to the way he promotes Chinese baijiu.
One way that has met with some success so far is what he calls "flight baijiu": three small serving of baijiu.
"'Flight baijiu' works very well for new baijiu consumers to try baijiu. I found a lot of people like to drink flight baijiu, which is three small glasses with three different baijiu, such as Moutai, Wuliangye (a famous Chinese liquor from Sichuan Province), and Yimuquan (baijiu from Hebei Province)," he said. "When they try baijiu in this way, they can taste the differences of baijiu. It works very well for consumers."
East meets West
If Matt Trusch didn't go to the Harbin Institute of Technology in Heilongjiang Province as an exchange student 24 years ago, he might not have discovered his love for baijiu.
Trusch, 44, a Jewish American who has been living in China for around 15 years, is the founder and creator of byejoe, a company that produces baijiu with infused flavors including dragon fruit, lychee, hot chilies, passion fruit, peach, and pomegranate.
"The first time I drank baijiu was in the winter of 1992. I drank it to stay warm," he said. What started out of necessity grew into a passion. In 2011, he decided to bring Chinese baijiu to America and founded his own baijiu brand.
He imported 100 percent proof baijiu from China and used an American filtration system to improve the spirit. He lowered its alcohol level to 35 to 40 percent, infused fruit flavors and modernized its packaging.
The modified baijiu has gained some traction in the US. Compared with traditional baijiu, byejoe's lowered alcohol level and lower calories make it easier for Americans, especially the younger generation, to accept, Trusch said.
"Around 70 percent of my consumers are young people in America," he said.
The novel ways of drinking baijiu with other ingredients is another way to promote baijiu around the world. Van Leeuwen said that some people may not be able to get used to modified baijiu. "The older generation may not want to try foreign products or creative baijiu which doesn't taste like traditional Chinese baijiu," he said. "However, the younger generation or people who never tried baijiu before are probably more open to trying baijiu in a cocktail, tea and coffee."
Boyce agreed, saying baijiu cocktails got positive feedback last year.
"It's possible that for some baijiu and cocktail lovers, after two to three years, they may say they want to try baijiu without a cocktail," he said, which is a good start.
