What are the best cocktail drinks will you recommend to pair with a roasted hong kong peking duck?

[AndersenLea]

My husband's birthday is nearly coming, and he loves hong kong peking duck, now my problem is, what cocktail drinks can make a good pair with this dish?

[geraldc]

Went on a wine matching course in Bordeaux, they recommended serving a dessert wine, Sauternes with Peking Duck. It is however, a rather expensive wine.

[Shelley]

I always think of something with oranges with duck. Maybe a cocktail with orange liqueur or orange brandy. Or just a screwdriver - vodka and orange juice with ice and paper umbrella

 

Hope he has a happy birthday and doesn't over do the cocktails too much.

[abcdefg]

No cocktail goes well with Peking Duck. Accompany it with a simple tea or beer. Remember that the duck will be only a small part of the meal; one of several dishes.

 

During the meal have optional small shots of Baijiu 白酒 available for the brave. (Buy a bottle of decent Maoutai 茅台, not rotgut Er Guo Tou 二锅头。)

 

Serve cocktails beforehand if you wish.

[Simon_CH]

I second abcdefg, no cocktail goes really well with Beijing duck. I would serve your husband a good beer, a sweet(ish) Belgian beer like Hoegaarden for example complements the flavours well. 

[Simon_CH]

But if you're talking about a cocktail after the meal I would recommend a slightly bitter classic cocktail like an Old Fashioned, or another whiskey-based cocktail that isn't too sweet. 

 

All very subjective of course 

[Shelley]

Or you could go for a sweet sherry, seems to me like it might be a good contrast to the duck.

[abcdefg]

#7 -- If you must have sherry, then perhaps an Amontillado.But still served before or afer the meal, not right besiide the duck.

 

@AndersenLea -- How much experience do you actually have eating and serving Beijing Duck? You are receiving lots of strange and impractical advice from people who theorize this or that might work out well. I don't think their suggestions are based on actually having tried these things out.

 

I buy a roast duck every week or two and usually invite Chinese friends to to enjoy them with me at my home. (Entire duck in my wet market is 23 Yuan.) The beer and baijiu tack is one that I have tested over and over. Have found it to work well and be well received. The drinks take a back seat to the bird, which is what you want. Women who eschew alcohol get Coke, Sprite, or fruit juice if they don't want tea.

 

And this is not the place for your prized 西湖龙井 (Dragon Well) or ancient Pu'er 普洱茶。Somethings simple and easy and (probably) cheap will suffice. A high-dollar tea cannot shine in such an environment. Save it for another time.

 

Have you found a good source for the duck? In what city will this meal take place? Tip: Spend a little time becoming proficient at the carving. It takes a little practice. How many birds will you buy? How many diners per duck?

 

What side dishes will you have with it? The duck can be the star, but it cannot stand alone. You will need a cold starter 凉拌 or two. I often serve 排黄瓜， a crushed cucumber salad and a few 皮蛋,  preserved eggs (aka thousand year eggs.) You will need at least two vegetables, one stir fried with meat. Corn is easy as are flat Holland beans (aka "snow peas.) And a soup. I often go with something simple here like 苦菜汤, make from slightly bitter green leafy vegetables. Wandoujian doufu soup 豌豆尖豆腐汤，is even better (a bit more work.)

 

No desert. Maybe set out some fresh fruit.

[abcdefg]

#7 -- If you must have sherry, then perhaps an Amontillado.But still served before or afer the meal, not right besiide the duck.

 

@AndersenLea -- How much experience to you actually have eating and serving Beijing Duck? You are receiving lots of strange and impractical advice from people who theorize this or that might work out well. I don't think their suggestions are based on actually having tried these things out.

 

I buy a roast duck every week or two and usually invite Chinese friends to to enjoy it with me at my home. (Entire duck in my wet market is 23 Yuan.) The beer and baijiu tack is one that I have tested over and over. Have found it to work well and be well received. The drinks take a back seat to the bird, which is what you want.

 

Have you found a good source for the duck? In what city will this meal take place? Tip: Spend a little time becoming proficient at the carving. It takes a little practice. (I prefer to have it cut up by the vendor.) How many birds will you buy? How many diners per duck are you calculating?

 

What side dishes will you have with it? The duck can be the star, but it cannot stand alone. You will need a cold starter 凉拌 or two. I often serve 排黄瓜， a crushed cucumber salad and a few 皮蛋,  preserved eggs (aka thousand year eggs.) You will need at least two vegetables, one stir fried with a little meat. Corn is easy as are flat Holland beans 荷兰豆 (aka "snow peas") for the "non-meat" vegetables.

 

And a soup. I often go with something simple here like 苦菜汤, make from slightly bitter green leafy vegetables. Wandoujian doufu soup 豌豆尖豆腐汤，is even better (a bit more work.) Steamed rice is de rigeur. You will have time to make these sides since the duck itself will not require any kitchen time.

 

No desert. Maybe set out some fresh fruit.

[Shelley]

Good suggestions abcdefg, as always from the Chinese Forums resident Adventure Cook

 

Its true I was only guessing what might go with it because cocktails and roast duck are, in my opinion, opposites.

 

Make the food the star and have tea or beer as suggested.

[Demonic_Duck]

OK, I'm no foodie like abcedfg, but I always assumed that cocktails were basically never intended to be drunk alongside meals. Drinking cocktails with food just seems weird to me.

 

I'd second the choice of a simple beer (probably a lager). Baijiu is definitely an acquired taste to say the least (even the relatively smooth 茅台), so not recommended unless your husband has tried and enjoyed it before.

[AndersenLea]

Hi everyone, Thanks for all the answers you gave. Actually, for me, everything you said seems right since I am asking for your opinion. But, I really learned a lot with "abcdefg", I have also searched for some google facts and it says that cocktails are not that good to be pair with this hong kong peking duck. And since then, I have decided to prepare a good glass of hong kong ice tea. I've seen this first at <Admin Edit: Link Removed> and when I've read all your suggestion, it match! Though my husband is not into beers. Thanks a lot =)

[AndersenLea]

Oh by the way, thanks Shelley for a heart-warming birthday greeting ;) I'll show it to my husband. You rock!

[imron]

@AndersenLea, do you always try to drop links to your clients in your posts?

 

This sort of setup where you ask an innocent seeming question and then slip a link to a client in your response is pretty old, and users generally don't like it.  It's also something we take quite a dim view of and actively try to prevent here on chinese forums.

 

There are better ways to promote clients than this sort of surreptitious marketing.

 

P.S. For future reference, don't sign up to forums from your work email if you don't want to be easily caught for this sort of thing.