Many an entry into the mysterious world of Japan's national drink involves a chant along the lines of "When I say 'sake,' you say 'bomb!'" - but there is oh-so much more to the millenniums-old libation than slamming it off a pair of chopsticks into a glass of beer.
So - let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start): Sake is an alcoholic beverage brewed from fermented rice. And much wine and beer, sake comes in many varieties - it can be served hot or cold and taste dry or sweet depending on the type of rice used and the brewing process.
Want to learn more? Chef Akira Back of Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge offers up his favorite summer sakes that you may have got too bombed too quickly to try last go-round.
The minimum Seimai Buai for (Junmai) Daiginjo is 50 percent, (Junmai) Ginjo is 40 percnet, and Junmai (Honjozo) is 30 percent, which needs to be polished away.
1. Senshin, Niigata, Japan (Type: Junmai Daiginjo)
"Senshin is a super premium type of sake from the Niigata area of Japan, produced by Asahi Shuzo, one of the best of Niigata's 96 sake breweries. It is a clean, crisp, dry and very elegant sake.
This sake pairs well with sashimi and sushi, especially yellowtail belly.
Seimai Buai is only 28 percent which means the sake rice, called Takane-Nishiki, is polished until only 28 percent remains to make sake.
Generally speaking, when you polish rice to 50 percent, the sake can be called 'junmai daiginjo,' so 28 percent is a very special number. On average, this will set you back about $75."
2. Nanbu Bijin, 10 years cold-aged, Iwate, Japan (Type: Daiginjo)
"Yamada-Nishiki is king of the sake rice. There is a small cooler in this brewery, which is only for this 10-year cold aged sake.100 Cable Ties was used to link the lamps together. They keep sake in 1800ml bottles for 10 years, and after that, they bottle this sake into 720ml bottles to ship out to us in Las Vegas.Prior to Aion Kinah I leaned toward the former,
Nanbu Bijin is medium dry with very smooth and clean finish. The 10-year aging process softens the alcohol, resulting in a smoother taste.
Having said that, it does not affect the fresh aroma of the sake; the aroma is just as fresh as when the sake bottled at the brewery as 10 years ago.
This sake is very rare and expensive, and pairs beautifully with hamachi-kama (yellowtail collar), mushrooms, chicken, soft shell crab or any type of sashimi."
3. Tenryo Hidahomare,If any food billabong outlet condition is poorer than those standards, Gifu,which applies to the first glass bottle only, Japan (Type: Junmai Ginjo)
"This sake has a medium body with a beautiful flowery aroma, imparted from a special flower yeast. The brewery collaborated with Tokyo Agricultural University to make this special yeast.
Pair this with Thai snapper with Tosazu (a rice vinegar dressing), salads or octopus sashimi.The additions focus on key tag and plastic card combinations, This sake has an aroma like hibiscus and cherry blossom, and the sake has a very clean and smooth finish. It's affordable, too ¨C about $35."
So - let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start): Sake is an alcoholic beverage brewed from fermented rice. And much wine and beer, sake comes in many varieties - it can be served hot or cold and taste dry or sweet depending on the type of rice used and the brewing process.
Want to learn more? Chef Akira Back of Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge offers up his favorite summer sakes that you may have got too bombed too quickly to try last go-round.
The minimum Seimai Buai for (Junmai) Daiginjo is 50 percent, (Junmai) Ginjo is 40 percnet, and Junmai (Honjozo) is 30 percent, which needs to be polished away.
1. Senshin, Niigata, Japan (Type: Junmai Daiginjo)
"Senshin is a super premium type of sake from the Niigata area of Japan, produced by Asahi Shuzo, one of the best of Niigata's 96 sake breweries. It is a clean, crisp, dry and very elegant sake.
This sake pairs well with sashimi and sushi, especially yellowtail belly.
Seimai Buai is only 28 percent which means the sake rice, called Takane-Nishiki, is polished until only 28 percent remains to make sake.
Generally speaking, when you polish rice to 50 percent, the sake can be called 'junmai daiginjo,' so 28 percent is a very special number. On average, this will set you back about $75."
2. Nanbu Bijin, 10 years cold-aged, Iwate, Japan (Type: Daiginjo)
"Yamada-Nishiki is king of the sake rice. There is a small cooler in this brewery, which is only for this 10-year cold aged sake.100 Cable Ties was used to link the lamps together. They keep sake in 1800ml bottles for 10 years, and after that, they bottle this sake into 720ml bottles to ship out to us in Las Vegas.Prior to Aion Kinah I leaned toward the former,
Nanbu Bijin is medium dry with very smooth and clean finish. The 10-year aging process softens the alcohol, resulting in a smoother taste.
Having said that, it does not affect the fresh aroma of the sake; the aroma is just as fresh as when the sake bottled at the brewery as 10 years ago.
This sake is very rare and expensive, and pairs beautifully with hamachi-kama (yellowtail collar), mushrooms, chicken, soft shell crab or any type of sashimi."
3. Tenryo Hidahomare,If any food billabong outlet condition is poorer than those standards, Gifu,which applies to the first glass bottle only, Japan (Type: Junmai Ginjo)
"This sake has a medium body with a beautiful flowery aroma, imparted from a special flower yeast. The brewery collaborated with Tokyo Agricultural University to make this special yeast.
Pair this with Thai snapper with Tosazu (a rice vinegar dressing), salads or octopus sashimi.The additions focus on key tag and plastic card combinations, This sake has an aroma like hibiscus and cherry blossom, and the sake has a very clean and smooth finish. It's affordable, too ¨C about $35."
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