Sake

I haven't seen any threads in the Speakeasy specifically on Saké. This weeks wine.woot is a Sake Sampler (SakeOne Organic Ginjo Junmai Saké, Organic Nigori Saké, G Joy Saké). I was considering picking it up -- any thoughts? I'm not a sake connoisseur, but I do enjoy it at Sushi restaurants. I'd be very interested if there are any experts on here who can give me a bit of a primer so far as commercially available sakes in America go.

Also, what kinds of non-Japanese meals might pair well with sake? Although I like Asian food, I very rarely ever cook it at home. I'd be interested if anyone had any ideas or pairings they'd enjoyed in the past.

I bought into a previous wine.woot Momokawa sake offer and was 75% pleased. The Silver was very good. The coconut lemongrass flavored one was way too cloying and not my speed. I believe the Ruby was for me a little too melon-skewed, but still not bad.

Thanks for posting this--I'll be getting it. I greatly enjoy nigori-style sake.

Can't offer any advice on food pairing, as I don't drink it with meals. If you go to the Momokawa site and click on more details under the sakes, it does give pairing advice.

I've only ever had cheap Sake (Hakutsuru), but I do enjoy it.

It would probably pair well with many fish dishes or light pasta dishes I'm thinking linguini & shrimp type of fair.

A word of advice though, as far as drunks go, Sake is a creeper and will hit you hard and without warning.

I don't know about the Joy brand, but Momokawa sake is usually pretty good for its price.

Unfiltered Nigori sake

J

Does beer count as a meal? Sake bombs are tasty

Sake is one spirit I could never get into.

A few times I've bought a bottle of the good stuff and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, I must not be a very refined person... my greatest joy is still drinking hot Gekkaikan sake. The only downside is that it skips your stomach and goes straight to your legs.

I don't have a favorite brand just yet, but a friend is married to a Japanese girl who is intent on educating me in good sake'. One thing I've learned is that much of the stuff served in restaurants is only a b/b+ grade, particularly if it's served warm.

For a whole new taste experience, try it ice cold as the Japanese drink it in the Summer. Additional (single) ice cube, optional, but helpful.

I never really "got into" sake' until I had it cold. Now, I can't get enough of it.

edit: one thing I got corrected on (in a nice way) was that sake (pronounced sock-ee) is salmon whereas, sake' (pronounced, sock-ay (long a sound)) is the fermented rice drink.

Sake is really rice beer....so its best fresh.

Luckily in Hawaii we get a lot of good sake imported from Japan (and always consumed cold).
Good sake is very surprising. I had one that tasted of a gentle bouquet of flowers.

Sake is made from rice, so Japanese generally do not drink sake with sushi. They find is redundant because of the rice in sushi. (Do the Russian's drink vodka with their potatoes? I wonder...) .

Sushi is generally enjoyed with beer (or tea).

Sake varies greatly is style and flavor. Generally the good stuff drunk by itself. Better to enjoy the subtle characteristics (like drinking single malt scotch neat).

If you are drinking more "ordinary" sake (not the lesser stuff which is generally served hot - as the heat destroys the flavors anyway) drink it cold and have some Japanese rice crackers with it. These japanese cracker are made by roasting rice cracker coated with soy sauce. This produces lightly salty and slightly bitter flavor. Against most sake the bitter of the cracker hides some of the sourness of the "ordinary" sake and really smoothes out the flavor.

Make sure the rice crackers come from Japan. The stuff from asia has some sugar in it sometimes. Try it!

If you can get it, sake is really good with sashimi (sushi without the rice essentially). That is, if you can stomach raw fish.

If I may inject a note of intrest?

When pronouncing the word "sake" as in the drink, it is pronounced: Sah-kay.

The common western pronounciation (Sah-kee) means cuttlefish (squid) in Japanese.

Found my favorite:

Momokawa "Diamond" Junmai Ginjo Sake. Made in Oregon, but my Japanese friend also thinks highly of it. (They also do a "Pearl" which is unfiltered sake, which I haven't tried yet.)

I myself am a resident of Northern Japan. Ironically enough, as much good Saki as I've had over the years I don't always know what type or brand I am getting as I do not read Kanji or any of the Kana for that matter, though I am working on it. I lived in Japan from 02-04 and am back again. I am a fan of nigori-style sake and agree with many above, ice cold Saki in the summer time is a good thing. I tend to follow the locals on this. I see them drinking a particular type, I ask for the same thing (I speak much more than I read/write). Cold in summer, room temp to warm in the winter!