Sayuri Nigori Sake
Nigori sake must be "in" fashion among... people who make their drinking choices based on what is "in" (you know I'm talking about you, G). When people ask me what I like to drink, and I tell them nigori goes with everything, they either know what I am talking about (and tell me how they like it much more than regular, fine-filtered/clear sake) or fake knowledge of what I'm talking about very effectively.I bought a bottle of Sayuri nigori sake, which is bottled in one of my favorite Japanese cities, Kobe. (Kobe is a lot like San Francisco. More on that some other time.) Sayuri comes in a frosted, pink glass bottle. It has a label that looks like a pretty washi paper and features small, adorable little flowers, some of which are printed in gold. The packaging, with the matching pink screw top, suggests that this darling little bottle is filled with some sickly sweet syrup drink which tastes the way Hello Kitty erasers smell.
It contains nigori. Not my favorite nigori, but one that is tasty and that I will drink again. Also, I will likely have to save the bottle, and find a place for it on a "cute" shelf, until it is displaced with some other cute thing from Japan.
Labels: beverages, rice is good, sake
posted by Arlene (Beth)12:30 AM
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Another tasty nigori sake!
I know that I lean toward being a "localvore" - I prefer, for a wide range of freshness, quality, and environmental reasons to eat foods that are grown in my local area, rather than foods that are shipped or trucked in from great distances. This hasn't applied to my sake-tasting for what I think are obvious reasons: sake is generally produced in Japan.
But, as a once-frequent viewer of Channel 26, I do know that there are locally brewed sakes, and I finally picked up a bottle of the one that is brewed closest to me: Sho Chiku Bai. SCB makes Nigori (unfiltered, milky-looking sake) that is reasonably priced, and which goes beautifully with Thai food and other spicy dishes that I make. I purchased a bottle of their "Silky Mild" sake... And it is light, clean-tasting, and delightful. It is on the sweet side, and I think it could go with anything.
In light of the clean, light flavors in my more recent tastings, I now do realize there are nigoris (such as the one I tasted with the slightly bitter aftertaste) that just aren't as good, and that there are more differences in flavor than I would have guessed.
I will buy this again, and drink it with my Thai curry experiments!Labels: beverages, rice is good, sake
posted by Arlene (Beth)8:52 AM
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saké!
The Richmond May Wah, my favorite Chinese supermarket, stocks an awesome selection of small bottles of saké. I now have a much better method of taste testing many brands! My research continues.
Nigori saké is the main focus of my current testing. Nigori is cloudy and slightly thick: you need to shake the bottle before drinking it chilled. I first tried this unfiltered saké at Citrus Club , whose cocktails I have always loved. A chilled martini glass full of cold nigorisaké goes perfectly with a steaming, swimming pool sized bowl of their heavenly tom kha. (I get sentimental just thinking about it...)
I currently have two large bottles of nigori saké at home. 'Nigori Genshu' saké from Momokawa Brewing (Japan, which uses an accent over the e, and thus influenced the formatting of this entry) has a good texture and light taste, with a slightly dark (fermented and slightly bitter) aftertaste after the first few sips, which subsequently fades. I will report on the other bottle when I've had a chance to drink more of it.
I've also tried 'Tanrei Junmai' saké by Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. (Kobe, Japan) a normal filtered type of saké, mostly because I loved the shape of the little bottle it came in. It is very clean tasting, and especially pleasant warm.
More on this subject as my research progresses.Labels: rice is good, sake
posted by Arlene (Beth)10:00 PM
