Cocky about sake

Sake to me!  We all have those friends who think that is actually their original phrase, to holler every time a sake flask is on the table.

Sort of like those people who use the word “connoisseur” like its goin’ outta style. What the hell is a connoisseur anyway – someone who does a thing a lot?  If that is the loose definition of the word that I am one hell of a connoi-something because I eat a lot, I drink a lot, I watch a lot of TV and I like to nap a lot.  Does that make me a connoisseur of these things or just someone who does them more than I should?

But that aside, sake – or 日本酒, which means “Japanese liquor” – happens to be one of my favorite drinks.  It’s delicious highly-alcoholic beverage made from rice, born more than 1,000 years ago in Japan.

Though Americans might call sake “rice wine,” sake differs from wine – fermented out of the high sugar content in fruit – because the alcohol is made from starch.
The true birth of sake is a mystery.  The first sign of this magical Japanese elixer is in the Book of Wei, a 3rd century Chinese text that speaks of the Japanese drinking and dancing – makes one wonder where the inspiration for the movie Footloose came from…?

The real McCoy, actual sake, is made from rice, water, yeast and mold. At certain times in history Sake to me was used for religious ceremonies, political festivals, and drinking games. And that sweet children is where the game of quarters gets its beginning.

Of particular interest to me because my grampy Paul James Stewart fought in World War II (and was later briefly a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals), rice shortages became a problem at that time and with it the Sake-brewing industry was dealt a hefty blow because the government restricted the usage of rice for sake. 
After the war ended, sake makers slowly began to get their groove back, but by this time, beer, wine, and spirits were the new kids on the block in Japan  and in the 1960s the public consumed more beer than Sake for the first time in history.  The beauty of this story is that while the consumption of Sake continued to dwindle, the quality continued to improve.

To this day, sake is produced around the world and is a delicious and often times elegant beverage to enjoy with anything from sushi to roasted chicken. So, you lions, you tigers and you bears, Sake to me one mo time.