Suprise! it’s a Nigori Thanksgiving

I was invited to a thanksgiving Dinner in Jersey City. The dinner itself was delicious! everything a turkey dinner should be. The crowd was mostly friends from a fire Island share. SO, I didn’t exactly fit into that mold, but it was a lovely evening – except the look on everyone’s face as they sipped their first Nigori! I don’t know how it happened, but S. told the host that I was a fan of Saké and working on a saké blog etc, etc… well it was suggested S. and I bring a Saké to thanksgiving dinner. oh boy. I should have put a stop to it right there… there were 6 plus me and S. Somehow, somehow – S. and I got the idea that a Nigori would be a fun choice! So we bought Dassai Nigori at Landmark It s a -10 on the Sake Meter Value. This was a sake I had at the Landmark Tasting on Nov. 11, ’05. The cutest thing about Dassai is the cute little cork that comes in the top. never seen that before. S.’s theory was that this special little cap was needed so that you can sake up the Nigori saké after the bottle has been opened. I just think it is another cute Japanese invention.
you can see a close up here:

When dessert time came around I already started getting anxious! 6 non-sake drinkers were about to be exposed to wierdo-nigori and If they hated it, it would be all on my shoulders. dessert was all set out on the table and everyone was waiting for this drink. So we poured it out and everyone took a sip. Everyone made a face of some sort! No one said YUMMM! two guests even made an obvious yuck face. I was surprised when the boys called out for another round. I soon realized why. They felt the 18% ALC in the nigori and said they were going to do a shot. a shot? you only do shots of things that taste disgusting! well, they did their shot and Scott and I tried to savor a little bit. The Saké began to taste quite good when it warmed slightly to about 50 degrees. it is really amazing how the temp. can affect the taste and flavor.

Even I must admit, that the Dassai – and Nigori in general – is not my favorite. S. seems to love it for it’s exotic appeal which sealed our fate on turkey day. The “chucks” in Nigori kinda turn me off and there is that after taste that takes a little getting used to. In any case, it’s something different and a nice change of pace that makes me marvel at the variety of Saké and appreciate the crystal clear Daiginjo-shu when i get back to it.

Dassai Nigori bottle and Label: