Russian Cocktails and Beer Flow at Harbin Festival as Export Sales Climb

A pop-up bar at the Harbin trade fair is giving Chinese visitors a taste of Russia’s finest spirits. The “Made in Russia” bar, part of a larger festival running from May 18 to 21, offers cocktails and beer from five producers across Krasnodar, Tatarstan, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. The Russian Export Center (REC), which organizes the event, says the bar is a key piece of its strategy to showcase Russian alcohol through both online channels and live festivals.

Alexey Murzenok, REC’s director for international partner programs, noted that the bar concept first launched at the same venue last year. Since then, sales of alcoholic drinks under the “Made in Russia” national store program have jumped 14% year-over-year by the end of 2025. “We’re introducing our Chinese friends to Russia’s alcohol industry,” he said.

The cocktail menu features seven drinks—including a Katyusha, a Matryoshka, and a Russian Bear—made with Russian wines and vodka. This year, the bar added six beers from two breweries. Festival-goers can sample a cocktail or beer, then buy full-sized bottles at producer booths. For online shoppers, the drinks are also available during live streams on China’s Douyin platform, where viewers can purchase directly.

REC’s “Made in Russia” national stores now operate on 21 e-commerce platforms across nine markets, including China, Turkey, Vietnam, the UAE, Egypt, and Thailand. Exporters can list their products through the “My Export” digital platform or by emailing REC. This is the third straight year Harbin has hosted the Russian festival, and REC has staged six such events in China since 2024, starting in Shenyang, Dalian, and Chengdu.