O-SAKE (rice wine)

It is said that the gods first drank sake and so it is still used in religious rites, and placed on family alters to pay respect to deities and the cherished dead. Marriage ceremonies include ritual sake drinking and at many annual festivals sake is consumed in great amounts because the gods love sake and clearly those who drink the rice wine are closer to the divine.

The word sake is actually a general reference to alcoholic beverages; the word o-sake or the more precise nihonshu (literally meaning Japanese liquor) is used by the sake tsu (connoisseur) when referring to the full-bodied rice wine. Nihonshu of course is brewed from rice and there are many grades and styles from which to choose.

Junmai-shu is a pure rice wine without any additives and it's the only variety allowed to be imported into the United States. It is said that this style of o-sake is closest to the drink as it was in the Edo period. The Japanese government specifies that the alcoholic content of nihonshu be around 15 to 16.5 percent.

O-sake comes sweet (amakuchi), or dry (karakuchi). The casual drinker or non-connoisseur enjoys the "lighter" sweetish taste of amakuchi, but the tsu much prefers the heavier dry style of o-sake. O-sake can be served both cold or hot, depending upon your mood or the dictates of the season. Hot summer days are made more tolerable by serving chilled o-sake, some say that this is the only way to drink rice wine as it is more flavorful and the alcohol is not so quickly absorbed into your system. Simply keep your bottle of o-sake in the refrigerator with the sake flask (called, tokkuri), and it's cups (sakazuki), and serves when thoroughly chilled.

The cold winter season is the time for hot o-sake, but be careful! Warm o-sake is so delicious and smooth that one can easily drink too much of it! To warm your o-sake, pour it into a small ceramic flask and place the flask in a small saucepan filled with cold water. Bring the water to a slow boil (but don't let it boil! Boiling the o-sake damages its flavor). When you dip your finger into the rice wine and it's very warm then you're ready to drink.

O-sake is best appreciated when there is something to eat, even if it is only a humble offering of tsukemono (pickles). O-sake goes well with fish dishes as well as the popular stews (nabemono), of winter. Since o-sake is made from rice it is considered redundant to drink o-sake while eating rice, so drinking stops before the rice is served! Etiquette demands that one should always pour o-sake for others but never for oneself, when a guest or friend's cup is empty, fill it! Remember to also lift your cup from the table when o-sake is being poured for you. When drinking with friends or associates a hearty "Kampai!" ("To the bottom of the cup!"), is the toast most often heard. Whether drinking with friends or alone, you are sure to love nihonshu... the drink of the gods.