在探索新的苦味原料時，我找到了一本很有趣的中藥書——Karen Page寫的《味覺圣經》。翻閱之間，我發現了五味子。雖然五味子常被作中藥服用，以平衡體質，但它并不為很多人所熟悉。所以，向本地人介紹他們都不知道的中國本土事物，說起來還挺好玩的。五味子兼有甜、酸、辣、苦、咸五味，這些味道會因品嘗者的心情和身體狀態的不同而改變。如果你先嘗了一顆，三分鐘之后又嘗了一顆，你可能會驚訝于它們截然不同的味道。當我把五味子分給不同朋友嘗的時候，有的說：“哦，真酸！”而有的卻覺得它又甜又咸。所以用它調酒頗為復雜，我不得不做些嘗試，實際上，調這款酒我試了三次，因為五味子的風味豐富，很難得到完全平衡。一開始我將五味子搗碎，但酸氣太濃了，這可不行。接著我把五味子浸泡在黑麥威士忌里，但或許是黑麥威士忌有點太烈了，所以只有辣味能透出來，果味只有一丁點。這更不行了，于是我不得不再想辦法。后來我決定制作糖漿，這招挺管用的：所有的氣息都能被釋放出來，五種味道都全了。貝嬌絲苦精讓五味子的味道更濃了一點，因為它有不明顯的大茴香味。大茴香味將各種味道很好的融合成一體，與甜、酸、甚至咸味皆相宜。而蔓越莓的加入也進一步調出了五味子的味道：一點點酸，一點點藥草味。

I was actually looking for some new bitter elements when I found a very interesting book on Chinese medicine – The Flavor Bible by Karen Page – and came across the Five Element berry, or wuweizi. It has long been used in Chinese medicine to balance the body, but not so many people know about it. So it was funny to even show local people something new from China. The berry is sweet, sour, spicy, bitter and salty at the same time; the taste and feeling varies depending on your mood and the condition of your body. If you try it once and then again three minutes later, don’t be surprised if it has a totally different taste. I gave it to my friend. He said, “Wow, it’s very sour”, while another friend just recognised sweet and salty flavours. It’s quite complex; I had to play around a little bit, and actually made this drink three times, as it is really hard to find the right balance for all the flavours of the berry. First I just muddled them and got very strong acidic notes. So that was not the best choice. Afterwards I infused it into rye whiskey. But somehow the rye was a little bit too strong and just the spiciness came through – with only a little bit of fruitiness. That was definitely wrong, so I looked for a new method. I then decided to make a syrup, which worked really well: all the aromas come through better and it expresses all five elements of the wuweizi at once. Peychaud’s bitters then pump up the flavour of the berry a little bit, with its hidden anise note. The anise brings it all together and goes well with the sweet, sour and even salty notes. Then, the cranberry enhances the wuweizi flavour even more: a little bit sour and a little bit herbal.

我來中國就是要了解她的傳統和文化，我想用一些不那么常見的原料創造出有趣的酒飲。比如，我會閱讀食譜，以期發現一些新的香氛和香氣。這個國度里有各種不同的藥草、香料和茶，給調酒師提供了許多靈感。實際上， 這里有幾乎無限的原料供我們發揮。

I came to China to learn about its traditions and culture, and I try to use ingredients that are not so common, to come up with something interesting. I read cookbooks, for example, to find new aromas and fragrances. There are a lot of opportunities in this country with different herbs, spices and different kinds of teas. In fact, there’s almost an unlimited choice of ingredients.

生命五味 / Elements of Life

• 50ml 黑麥威士忌 / Rye
• 30ml 五味子糖漿* / Wuweizi syrup*
• 25ml 蔓越莓汁 / Cranberry juice
• 20ml 檸檬汁 / Lemon juice
• 4滴 貝嬌絲苦精 / 4ds Peychaud’s bitters
• 1個 蛋清 / 1 Egg white

*五味子糖漿：將1.5大調羹的完整五味子放入以1：1比例混合的糖水中。（注意不要搗碎或擠壓五味子，以免酒變得過酸或過辣。）用攝氏70度的火沸煮20分鐘，期間不斷攪拌。

* Wuweizi syrup: Add 1.5 tablespoons of whole wuweizi berries to a 1:1 mixture of sugar and water. (Don’t muddle or crush the berries, otherwise the mixture becomes too sour and spicy). Boil at 70 degrees C for 20 minutes while stirring continuously.

將除了蛋清之外的所有原料倒入搖酒壺，嘗味，看看是否要作調整，再加入蛋清。加冰搖15-20秒。濾入另一個調酒聽，以去除冰塊，然后加入過濾器彈簧搖酒，干搖10秒。以冰凍過的平底玻璃杯或高腳杯盛放，不加冰，以橙皮和3枚五味子裝飾。

Combine all ingredients in a shaker except the egg; taste, adjust if necessary, then add egg white. Shake with ice for 15-20 seconds; discard ice by straining between shaker tins; then add strainer spring to shaker and dry shake for another ten seconds. Serve in a frozen tumbler or goblet, without ice, and garnish with orange peel and three wuweizi berries.