Rant: Don't Drink The Bomb! The Sake Bomb

In a couple weeks, on October 1, it will be time raise an ochoko and celebrate Nihonshu no Hi, or as known in English, Sake Day. Saké Day originated over 35 years ago, in 1978, by a declaration of the Japan Sake Brewers Association and is now celebrated worldwide. What will you do to celebrate this holiday?

One thing I hope you won't do is have an infamous Sake Bomb, which is an American concoction, not a Japanese one. For a Sake bomb, you first start with a glass of beer, sometimes a Japanese one like Kirin or Sapporo. You then fill a small Sake cup with warm Sake. Next, you then place two chopsticks in a "V" shape atop the beer glass and carefully balance the Sake cup atop the chopsticks.

You then slam your hand down on the table or bar so that the Sake cup falls into beer and immediately chug the beer and Sake mix. To me and many others, this is a waste of good Sake. The amount of Sake is very small compared to the amount of beer so you really are not going to get any flavor from the Sake. Basically, you only get the added alcohol from the Sake, so it really could be any liquor that you drop into the beer.

Would you drop a shot of Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc in a beer? Probably not and you don't see restaurants advertising Chardonnay Bombs. Yet it is really no different than dropping a Sake into a beer. Sake is a fascinating beverage on its own and dropping a glass into your beer doesn't provide you any part of that fascination.

Join with me and support Sake on its own! Don't allow this excellent beverage to be sullied with beer. Don't let its subtle and complex flavors to be destroyed by the strong, harsh flavors of beer.

Drink Sakw Not Bombs!