舌尖上的美食 第5期:鹤庆乾酒 Heqing Royal Liquor

Heqing Royal Liquor

鹤庆乾酒

There is a fairly legendary mystery denoting the origin of Heqing (A county in NorthWestern part of Yunnan province) Royal Wine. It is said that when Emperor Qianlong inspected the southern areas of the Yangtze River, during one feast, his Majesty was presented with the locally produced Liquor of West Dragon Pond (A pond in Heqing County), which was refreshing with a flavor of natural herbs. After a taste, his Majesty, who has enjoyed the world’s most delicious liquors and wines, praised: “What splendid liquor! Even an alcohol master could not have produced such a heavenly drink.” Under his order it became a tribute which was delivered to him on a regular basis. The wine thus adopted the name of Royal Liquor, which means that it was specifically attributed to Emperor Qianlong.

鹤庆乾酒的来历，在民间还有一段颇具传奇色彩和神秘意韵的故事，这酒据说是乾隆老儿下江南那阵子，在一次晚宴上，品了鹤庆出产的西龙潭酒后，觉得味道醇厚中，有一股子清冽冽的感觉；回甜中，有一种山野的清香。那品遍了天下美味琼浆的乾隆老儿，品了一口后，居然啧啧称赞道：“这真是天下少有的美酒啊！杜康在世，也未必能酿出这般美酒。”于是就将这种酒，御封为每年进贡朝庭的贡品，定期按时呈贡。这酒名也就取成了乾酒，言下之意，这酒的专利拥有者，就他乾隆老儿了。