I am so intrigued by the idea of using Scotch!! Definitely going to file that interesting tidbit for use in the near future. ;o)

Thanks everyone, I have scotch & tequila & mirin... so one will work!

I always substitute tequilan for Chinese wine.

My chinese cooking teacher always used scotch.

If you mean the darker Chinese cooking wine - Shao hsing - then dry sherry is a very good sub; for white Chinese cooking wine - a dry white (French, Italian, California, whatever.)

Mirin cab be okay too, but it's much sweeter than white Chinese wine, so adjust accordingly.

I'd like to try the wildcard-winning Gong Bao tonight and my liquor cabinet is frighteningly bare. I have some mirin so perhaps I'll try that and reduce the sugar a tad as AntoniaJames points out. Thanks for the input!

I use a dry sherry (usually manzanilla or amontillado) or in a pinch I have substituted dry white wine.

I'd like to know a little more about the recipe, but I'd be tempted to try sake, with maybe a tiny bit of mirin.

I use a medium dry sherry. Marsala would likely be too sweet and heavy, at least for my taste. Mirin (Japanese rice wine) is also a great substitute, but be sure to check for sweetness, when using any of these -- or when using the Chinese cooking wine, for that matter -- and add a dash of vinegar to sharpen the sauce, if necessary. ;o)

A dry sherry will work.