heART on CenterThe more you drink at one sitting, the greater the similarity between the words “wine” and “sake.” The parallels don't stop there. Sake, as you probably know, is marketed mostly as a wine, 'sep that it's rice-based, which kinda makes it closer to beer because of the grain content. Matter of fact, the feds say sake is a type of malt liquor, whereas the state of California calls it wine. The discrepancy arises from a bunch of silly Prohibition laws that date to the earlier part of the 20th century.
But you don't care about that part. The only thing that matters to you is that Sho Chiku Bai, the flagship product of Berkeley's Takara Sake USA, is pretty darn good. If it doesn't easily lend itself to a legal classification, then neither does it go down like a wine or a beer, at least not right away. The taste is actually kind of gritty compared with that of the wines you're used to, and the aftereffects tend to stick with your mouth's soft tissues for a while. Don't get me wrong-the kick livens every Asian dish you can name, and it's not bad with grilled fish, either. It's also recommended that you warm this drink to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Try it. You'll see why.
Sho Chiku Bai is available for $5.99 at oodles of places. Depending on the oodle, you might find it mixed in with the beer-but don't let that fool ya. Whatever this thing is, it won't disappoint.
-Martin Jones Westlin
