Traditional classroom study has its advantages, but there’s still great fun to be had in bars, and you can also learn a lot of Chinese there. Here is some vocabulary for mostly Western alcohol to help you out in bars and other drinking situations. You should have no trouble at all picking up the vocabulary for Chinese alcohol from Chinese friends.
All vocabulary is listed together, alphabetically. The largest categories of alcohol are in all caps. Other general types of alcohol are in bold. Beer names are colored brown for convenience.
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
| Absolut | 瑞典伏特加 | ruì diǎn fú tè jiā |
| Angel’s Kiss | 天使之吻 | tiān shǐ zhī wěn |
| Asahi | 朝日 | zhāo rì |
| B-52 | 轰炸机 | hōng zhà jī |
| Bacardi | 白家得 | bái jiā dé |
| Bailey’s | 百利甜酒 | bǎi lì tián jiǔ |
| Beck’s | 贝克 | bèi kè |
| Beefeater’s | 必发达金 | bì fā dá jīn |
| BEER | 啤酒 | pí jiǔ |
| Black Russian | 黑色俄罗斯 | hēi sè é luó sī |
| Bloody Mary | 血腥玛丽 | xuè xīng mǎ lì |
| Bourbon | 波本 | bō běn |
| Brandy | 白兰地 | bái lán dì |
| Budweiser | 百威 | bǎi wēi |
| Bud Ice | 百威冰啤 | bǎi wēi bīng pí |
| Canadian Club | 加拿大俱乐部 | jiā ná dà jù lè bù |
| Captain Morgan’s | 摩根船长 | mó gēn chuán zhǎng |
| Carlsberg | 嘉士伯 | jiā shì bó |
| Champagne | 香槟酒 | xiāng bīn jiǔ |
| Chivas Regal | 芝华士 | zhī huá shì |
| Cocktail | 鸡尾酒 | jī wěi jiǔ |
| Cognac | 干邑白兰地 | gān yì bái lán dì |
| Corona | 科罗娜 | kē luó nà |
| Cutty Sark | 顺风威士忌 | shùn fēng wēi shì jì |
| Daiquiri | 黛克瑞 | dài kè ruì |
| Draught beer | 生啤，扎啤 | shēng pí, zhā pí |
| Finlandia | 芬兰伏特加 | fēn lán fú tè jiā |
| Gin | 金酒 | jīn jiǔ |
| Gin and tonic | 金汤力 | jīn tāng lì |
| Gordon’s | 哥顿金 | gē dùn jīn |
| Grant’s | 格兰金 | gé lán jīn |
| Guinness | 健力士 | jiàn lì shì |
| Heineken | 喜力 | xǐ lì |
| J&B | 珍宝 | zhēn bǎo |
| Jack Daniels | 杰克丹尼 | jié kè dān ní |
| Jameson | 占美臣 | zhàn měi chén |
| Jim Beam | 占边 | zhàn biān |
| Johnny Walker Red | 红方 | hóng fāng |
| Johnny Walker Black | 黑方 | hēi fāng |
| Jose Cuervo | 银快活 | yín kuài huo |
| Kahlua | (甘露) 咖啡甜酒 | (gān lù)kā fēi tián jiǔ |
| Kamikaze | 日本武士 | rì běn wǔ shì |
| Kilkenny | 奇健尼 | qí jiàn ní |
| Kirin | 麒麟 | qí lín |
| LIQUOR | 烈酒 | liè jiǔ |
| Long Island Iced Tea | 长岛冰茶 | cháng dǎo bīng chá |
| Malibu | 椰子酒 | yē zi jiǔ |
| Manhattan | 曼哈顿 | màn hā dùn |
| Margarita | 玛格丽特 | mǎ gé lì tè |
| Martini Dry | 辛辣马丁尼 | xīn là mǎ dīng ní |
| Pabst Blue Ribbon | 蓝带 | lán dài |
| Pina Colada | 椰林风光 | yē lín fēng guāng |
| Red wine | 红（葡萄）酒 | hóng (pú tao) jiǔ |
| Remy Martin | 人头马 | rén tóu mǎ |
| Rum | 朗姆酒 | lǎng mǔ jiǔ |
| Rum and Coke | 朗姆酒加可乐 | lǎng mǔ jiā kě lè |
| Scotch | 苏格兰威士忌 | sū gé lán wēi shì jì |
| Screwdriver | 螺丝刀 | sī dāo |
| Sex on the Beach | 性感沙滩 | xìng gǎn shā tān |
| Smirnoff | 皇冠 | huáng guān |
| Snowball | 雪球 | xuě qiú |
| Steinlager | 世好 | shì hǎo |
| Stolichnaya | 苏联红牌 | sū lián hóng pái |
| Suntory | 三得利 | sān dé lì |
| Tequila | 特基拉 | tè jī lā |
| Tequila Sunrise | 日升龙舌兰 | rì shēng lóng shé lán |
| Tiger | 虎牌 | hǔ pái |
| Tsingtao | 青岛 | qīng dǎo |
| Vodka | 伏特加 | fú tè jiā |
| Vodka Red Bull | 伏特加红牛 | fú tè jiā jiā hóng niú |
| Whiskey | 威士忌 | wēi shì jì |
| Whiskey Sour | 威士忌酸 | wēi shì jì suān |
| White wine | 白葡萄酒 | bái pú tao jiǔ |
| WINE | 葡萄酒 | pú tao jiǔ |
This page is dedicated to Greg, Carl, and Alf. For additional notes or to leave comments, click on this blog link.
CREDITS: This page was inspired by the book Urban Chinese. Much (but not all) of the vocabulary listed here can be found in that book. I recommend it to beginner students of Chinese.