Let’s Dance!

Sake (Nihonshu), made by brewing yeast, koji mold, water and polished rice and pops up in the 3rd century Chinese text Book of Wei. Wherein, it is stated that the Japanese liked to drink and dance. Isn’t that a cute oversimplification?

Nihonshu is made by fermenting rice and the resulting starch is then converted to a sugar and then that resulting sugar is then fermented into alcohol. Nihonshu was perfected in about 710 ~ 794 AD and was exclusively used for religious ceremonies, royal court festivals and drinking games and was made under government monopoly for centuries. 

There are a number of styles of Nihonshu, from clear to cloudy, and unlike wine, it is not vintaged although there are exceptions. Alcohol level is about 9%~15% although undiluted Nihonshu is about 18%~20%. 

There is of course quality to be examined and that’s for another time, however, the better the Nihonshu, the smoother the drink. In the coming weeks, let’s look at that.