What People Drink in Macau: 6 Traditional Beverages That Tell Its Story

Macau’s drinking habits reflect its hybrid identity: Cantonese roots shaped by four centuries of Portuguese trade. The humid subtropical climate—steamy summers, mild winters—encourages light, chilled drinks alongside warming, aromatic wines.

You’ll see banquet toasts with fiery baijiu, winter bowls of food cooked with Shaoxing rice wine, and after-dinner sips of Port or Madeira in Taipa and Coloane. Herbal tonic wines linger in old apothecaries, while sweet-sour plum wine suits the muggy Pearl River Delta air.

Baijiu is the essential spirit at Chinese banquets across Macau, from family restaurants on the Macau Peninsula to lavish hotel dining rooms in Cotai. Distilled primarily from sorghum (sometimes with wheat, rice, or corn), it’s a clear spirit produced via solid-state fermentation with qu (a saccharifying starter), pit aging, and pot distillation. Styles vary: sauce-aroma (think soy, umami, fermented fruit), strong-aroma (floral, tropical esters), and light-aroma (clean, grainy).

Expect strength between 38% and 53% ABV, a piercing nose, and a warming finish that suits festive toasts. The ritual is ganbei—glasses drained in unison to honor hosts, business partners, and elders—especially at weddings, company banquets, or Lunar New Year gatherings. Well-known mainland labels are common in Macau’s hotels, but smaller shops also carry regional bottles. Baijiu usually accompanies multicourse Cantonese spreads, where bold flavors (soy-braised meats, seafood in ginger-scallion sauces) stand up to its intensity.

Huangjiu—specifically Shaoxing huadiao—remains a backbone of Cantonese cooking and a cold-weather sip in Macau. Made from glutinous rice, water, and wheat-based qu, it’s a fermented (not distilled) rice wine aged in earthenware jars. The aging deepens its amber hue and layers aromas of toasted grain, dried longan, and soy-caramel. Typical strength runs 14–20% ABV.

In restaurants around Taipa and the Macau Peninsula, huadiao perfumes classics like drunken prawns, steamed crab, and chicken with ginger and scallion. Served gently warmed in winter, it’s smooth, savory, and slightly sweet, with a rounded umami that complements seafood-heavy local menus shaped by the Pearl River Delta. At home, Macanese families and Cantonese households often keep a bottle for both cooking and sipping. It’s also a staple in festive dishes during colder months, when a mellow, warming wine fits the season.

Portuguese Port has long traveled the same maritime routes that linked Lisbon to Macau, and it remains visible on dessert and digestif menus in Taipa Village and Coloane. Crafted from Douro grapes, fermentation is halted with aguardente (grape spirit), preserving natural sweetness before aging in wood or tank. Styles include Ruby (fresh, red-fruited), Tawny (nutty, oxidative), Late Bottled Vintage (structured, dark fruit), and aged Tawnies (10–40 years). Alcohol typically sits around 19–20% ABV.

In Macau, Port pairs with rich Portuguese-Macanese fare and desserts such as serradura (sawdust pudding) or almond-based sweets. The city’s humid climate often calls for slightly chilled pours, especially with Tawny styles whose nutty, caramelized notes shine in warm evenings. Historically, Portuguese clubs and taverns offered Port after the main meal; today, you’ll find it in hotel bars and classic restaurants, where a small glass concludes a leisurely dinner that blends Lusophone and Cantonese influences.

Madeira’s identity—fortified, heated, and built to survive long sea voyages—fits Macau’s seafaring past. Produced on the Atlantic island of Madeira, base wines are fortified, then aged via estufagem (gently heated tanks) or the canteiro method (slow barrel aging in warm lofts). Oxidation and heat yield a stable wine with vivid acidity and flavors from toasted nuts to citrus peel and caramel. Styles range from dry Sercial to sweet Malmsey (18–20% ABV).

In Macau, Madeira appears as an aperitif (try dry styles slightly chilled) or a digestif (sweeter expressions), and occasionally in sauces for beef or mushrooms in Portuguese kitchens. Its tangy backbone suits the city’s humidity: a cool glass in Taipa or Coloane cuts through fried petiscos and salted cod. The wine’s resilience—born for the tropics—made it a fixture of colonial-era cellars; today it lingers in restaurant lists that honor the city’s Luso-Asian culinary bridge.

Herbal tonic wines—yaojiu, sometimes called pao jiu—reflect Cantonese traditions preserved in Macau’s historic quarters. The method is simple: macerate herbs such as ginseng (renshen), angelica sinensis (danggui), goji berries (gouqi), jujube, or longan in a base of rice wine or light baijiu. After weeks to months, the spirit absorbs bittersweet, earthy aromas and a tea-like texture. ABV depends on the base: roughly 20% if using huangjiu, 30–38% for light baijiu.

You’ll see bottled infusions in traditional Chinese medicine shops around the old streets of the Macau Peninsula, where they’re purchased in small quantities for home sipping. Locals take thimble-sized pours in cooler months, often after dinner, as a warming tonic aligned with the Traditional Chinese Medicine idea of balancing qi—cultural belief rather than medical fact. The flavor is herbal and slightly sweet, with a lingering bitterness that pairs well with late-night snacks or simple soups.

Meijiu—Chinese plum wine made from green ume-like plums, rock sugar, and a neutral rice spirit—matches Macau’s muggy summers. The process relies on maceration: washed plums are layered with sugar and covered with liquor, then left for months to extract almond-like pits aromatics and bright acidity. Commercial versions hover around 10–15% ABV; homemade batches can be stronger depending on the base spirit.

The result is sweet-tart, perfumed with stone fruit, almond, and citrus peel, best served over ice in the evening or alongside spicy skewers in casual eateries across Taipa and Coloane. Families with roots in nearby Guangdong sometimes make seasonal jars at home, while supermarkets stock bottled meijiu year-round. In the city’s heat, its gentle sweetness and low alcohol make it a popular aperitif or dessert sip—an approachable counterpoint to stronger spirits poured at banquets.