Enhancer Quotes

“Try this smoked chicken with a dressing made from wine vinegar and herbs.
Than the liver sashimi with just salt. Try the gizzard and chicken leg sashimi with salt and sesame oil.
This one is from Nakagomi-san's Yorozuya brewery. It's a Shunnoten Junmaishu, 'Takazasu.' I've warmed it so that it'll be 108 degrees when poured into your sake cup."
"108 degrees! Do you have to be that precise in warming the sake?!"
"Of course. That's why the Okanban's job is so important. I've made it slighty lukewarm to stimulate your taste buds, It should be just the right warmth to enjoy the delicate differences of the various sashimi."
"Wow. You really put a lot of thought into warming the sake."
"Okay. Let's try the sake and food together."
"The chicken leg is sweet! And the warm sake wraps that sweetness and enhances it in your mouth!"
"The warm sake spreads out the aftertaste of the liver on your tongue!"
"The more I chew on the gizzard, the richer the taste becomes!"
"Man, it's totally different from cold sake! Its scent and flavor are so lively!"
"Exactly. That's what's important. Warming the sake brings the flavor and scent to life, so they're much stronger than with cold sake. That's the reason you serve sake warm."
"I see... I never knew there was a reason like that behind warming sake."
"And now the main dish--- yakitori. Please start with the chicken fillet, heart and liver.
This is a Shunnoten Junmai Daiginjo that has been aged a little longer than usual. It's made from Yamadanishiki rice that has been polished down to 45 percent and then dry-steamed to create a tough malt-rice...
... which is then carefully fermented in low temperatures to create the sake mash.
Many people think I'm out of my mind to warm such a high-class Daiginjo. But when sake like this, which has been aged for a long time, is warmed to be 118 degrees when poured into the cup... you can clearly taste the deep flavor of the aged sake."
"Wow!"
"But 118 degrees is a little hot, isn't it?"
"I wanted you to taste the succulent, savory chicken heart and other skewers...
...with a hot Daiginjo that has a rich yet refreshing flavor and can wash away the fat."
"I think Junmai Ginjoshu tastes good when you warm it. People who claim that it's wrong to warm Junmai Ginjoshu don't know much about sake."
"Aah... the sake tastes heavier since it's warmer than the last one!"
"The flavor and scent of the sake fill my mouth and wash away the fat from the chicken too!"
"This sake has such a rich, mature taste!”
― Tetsu Kariya, Izakaya: Pub Food