you can also search for "sake" and not "saki" you might find a bit more.

hoyo is a good brand. sweet and light. and yes you can find it in the japanese market

mitsuwa is good, or nijiya. both japanese markets

 

Marukai is a membership store but if you are not a member you just pay 10% more. Membership is only like $10 a year or something, it is a good store, worth it, we go to the one in West Covina all the time. The stuff they have is fairly priced and a good selection of everyday food items.

Mitsuwa on the whole is more expensive but probably has the more high quality, gift type stuff. There was a large one (formerly Yaohan) in Edgewater NJ that we would go when we were living there. They carried ridiculous items like a box of fancy cookies for $60 or some little boxes of cake for $75.

 

Okay, I just got back from Mitsuwa and bought 2 bottles of "Horin" Sake to give the folks on Sunday. It's not what I originally wanted, but it will do. Mitsuwa is a grocery store and I was looking for a liquor store because I am unfamiliar with soju/sake. I was hoping to have help and explainations/suggestions. So I asked a older asian man browsing the liquor isle what he liked and this is what he recommended. Sorry the picture is so blurry, I'm too close for my camera phone.
It was $40 bucks per bottle. I try to compare sake to wine and I figure a $40 bottle of wine is pretty good. I hope my parents like it.

 

Oops! Was I not supposed to say anything? My bad......

 

I wish they had a spell check version of CL. lol
Thanks for the suggestion.

 

How is this traditionally consumed?

When in Japan, it was mixed 1;1 or 1:2 with water. When Junko told the hostess straight, she got wide eyed and amazed that she took it this way. We've drank it straight with ice.
With any water, I thought it was too tame, almost bland.

Liz-when does this turn NWS?

 

Water?!? Sake is rice wine, not vodka. haha
I like mine chilled, cold sake is my favorite. My friend who has been in the army forever told me that hot sake was created after World War II and the Japanese heated Sake to give to american GI's to mask cheap taste. I wonder if this is true because I've never had good hot sake. It does mask the favor imo.

And this thread will become NWS once 1Sick comes on to post about ***** in a Sake thread. lol

 

Ichiko on the rocks makes for some good sippin

 

I've had good ones both warm and chilled, my preferce is toward the chilled ones though. When warm, it has more steamed rice like aromas where the chilled ones have floral and citrius like characters. One bottle of cold sake that was quite nice is the house label of Trader Joe's, it's in the blue bottle. For $10 it compared favorably to bottles I've paid much more for. YMMV

 

Trader Joe's sells sake?? I'm gonna have to go check that out. My absolute favorite translates to "Demon Slayer". Sooooo good chilled.