The Miyanichi Press covers a new way to enjoy coarse-filtered nigori sake – as a smoothie.
Served for a limited time only, all branches of Kurand Sake Market, which offers 100 types of sake for tasting, and Shugar Market, which offers 100 kinds of ume-shu and other fruit liqueurs for tasting, will be offering the thick and creamy nigori smoothies from 29 March until 30 April 2018. They’re included in the all-you-can-drink plan (JPY 3,240 including tax) but not sold on their own.
Variations include Mellow Melon, Creamy Mango and Sweet-and-Sour Ume, but customers can make their own by combining nigori sake with any fruit liqueur.
The article defines nigori as sake with some of the lees/sediment (澱, ori) added to give a cloudy white appearance, creamy texture and flavours from the rice raw material, and once again describes the cocktails as a way for people who don’t like nigori to drink it by making it sweeter and adding fruit flavours. (Isn’t life too short for this kind of thing? I can understand making cod liver oil palatable for the health benefits, but if someone doesn’t like nigori there are surely other things they could be doing than making cocktails with it.) The ume-shu + nigori combination is described as a great balance between the sourness of the plum and sweetness of nigori, while mango liqueur + nigori turns out like an alcoholic lassi.
Links
- Original article (Japanese, Miyanichi Press, 28 March 2018)
- Information page for nigori smoothies on the Kurand site (Japanese)