Huangjiu, yellow wine, is among the oldest alcoholic drinks in China, brewed from glutinous rice, and the most famous comes from Shaoxing, a canal city a short train ride from Shanghai. Most people abroad know it only as a cooking ingredient, but in Shanghai and Zhejiang it is a drink, poured into small cups at the table and usually warmed, which brings out its nutty, toffee and dried fruit flavors. A sliver or two of ginger and a dried sour plum are classic additions, the ginger especially in cold weather and alongside the autumn hairy crab.

Drinking huangjiu warm is a gentle, sociable ritual rather than a cocktail, and it belongs with food: braised meats, dumplings, anything with soy and star anise. It sits at around the strength of a fortified wine, so it is sipped, not swallowed. The zero proof version, a hot ginger and plum tea, carries the same warmth and the same sweet and sour finish.

The warm wine

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) drinking Shaoxing wine (huadiao or jiafan)
• 1 piece (about 1 inch / 2.5 cm) fresh ginger
• 4 dried sour plums (huamei)
• 2 teaspoons rock sugar

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