Continuing the food/drink topic (soy sauce is like a mixture of the two, methinks), is anyone here a sake aficionado? I just read a story in the NYTimes about sake becoming the next single malt scotch (i.e. super overpriced), but it has always been a curiosity of mine. Here's the link in case you're curious:
Anyway, I wrote down a few good sakes I tried over the years on my phone, but that list has gotten lost in the shuffle as of late. Can anyone help me repopulate my list?
Also, as the subject of this thread is "Sake?", we all as astute Japanese students know that sake doesn't just refer to the rice wine, but rather, alcohol in the general sense (sure, お酒 can be the rice wine, but think of it from a non-Japanese student's perspective as well). Along this line, is anyone here a fan of shōchū? It's like Japanese vodka, if you don't know. I joined my fellow blue-collar Osakans when I lived there one summer and started to like it a lot, especially on hot nights mixed with mugi-cha. These days, I can't find shōchū anywhere, and the same goes for mugi-cha...
The selection of 日本酒 around these parts is generally pretty weak.
My standard for non-special-occasion drinking is the Hakutsuru 純米吟醸...it's decent but not spectacular, about $10 (CDN) for a 300mL bottle as I recall. For something a little nicer, I just keep my eyes open for whatever Japanese 大吟醸 my local wine shop happens to have in stock - though you're right in that it's overpriced (at least compared to prices in Japan), $30+ for a 300mL is not uncommon...
I love 焼酎 as well, when I can get my hands on it...favourites are だんだん (made with sweet potato) and たんたかたん (made with shiso leaves...yum).
You might want to try 泡盛 as well if you're into 焼酎 - both are distilled and stronger, though 泡盛 is always made with rice if I remember correctly. The inlaws brought a couple of bottles back from a trip to 沖縄 last year and it was quite something...we drank it on ice just like 焼酎.
Those prices are the reason I stick to 梅酒 whenever I'm not in Japan. At least in the Central Markets near me, the bottles of it are only about 15-20% higher then in Japan (for the same brand).
Hm, our selection of 梅酒 is even worse....the wife loved it when we were last in Japan, was drinking ume-sodas all the time...but all we can get around here is the cheap crummy Gekkeikan that tastes like low quality prune juice. Needless to say we haven't had any in a while...
Shochu and mugi??? Ewww..... Love my mugicha; drink it every day. It's everywhere out here. Can't really imagine putting anything in it, though. I guess I'm a bit of a mugicha aficionado. Tried every brand I could find, and I prefer Shirakiku. Yes, I know that's not the "best" brand, but I like the flavor. Some of the fancier brands have a funny aftertaste. Shochu is pretty easy to find here, too.
I prefer the sweeter sakes, but am not much of a drinker, so not much help here. :P 梅酒, though....yum!
Oh, man, Hakutsuru is damn cheap, but it just takes horrible to me! Price-wise though, it really can't be beat here in the States.
I haven't found a single bottle of shochu where I live now. They had some soju (Korean swill) in the local liquor/wine store, but I couldn't bring myself to try it given its ridiculous price.
じゅうり, it's hard to imagine, I know, but it's really, really good. I think I'll email the guy who ran the izakaya I patronized in Osaka for some clues as to what he used!
the best though has gotta be the homemade stuff - homemade 梅酒 is the best! A lot of the little old ladies in my area whip it out on special occasions ;)
I'm a big fan of shochu -- mugi is my preference, and I like it with hot water. It stinks its so hard to get here in the states as I'd actually think that it would be palatable to Americans. I guess the American way is to drink nasty, sweet cocktails... and (in my opinion), most varieties of shochu wouldn't mix well and chuhai doesn't count! (though, come to think of it -- I recall seeing recipes using it somewhere, at some point) .. I refuse to drink soju, though, it seems a little easier to get a hold of..
As far as sake goes -- I'm not sure if I mentioned this in the whole soy sauce discussion, but, I'm a big fan of fermented foods and as a hobby enjoy rotting up all sorts of good things to eat and drink. One of my favorite is doburoku which is essentially unfiltered home made sake. its an interesting drink - milky white (think calpis), has a slight texture and a kind of tangy sweetness to it. If you tried to imagine amazake, but not quite as thick or sweet, you'd be close to the taste and texture. Does anyone else have brewing experience?
Every year My wife and I make homemade 梅酒. One batch usually last about a year. In fact I think I'll have a glass tonight and snack on some 梅酒 soaked 梅.
