Niigata Prefecture is one of the most famous sake-producing regions in the country. While there are many famous sake brands such as Kubota, Hakkaisan and Koshinokanbai, it is also a fact that young people are becoming less and less interested in sake. It is a sad state of affairs for those of us who live in Niigata, but when you put it that way, I wonder when was the last time I drank sake myself...
In this issue, we introduce a product born in Niigata called Ponshu Guria, which proposes a new way to enjoy sake that is not bound by conventional images, in the hope that sake can be enjoyed more easily! Ponshu Guria could make your sake life even more enjoyable!
What is ponchuglia?
Sangria is made by adding apple fruit, cinnamon and other ingredients to wine to make it easier to drink. Ponshu Gurria is an easy to enjoy sake cocktail inspired by sangria. The cups are filled with dried fruit and peppermint sugar, so simply pour in the sake and it's ready to drink! In addition to the three regular flavours (peach, yuzu and apple), there are also spring-only flavours (cherry and strawberry). It's a fun way to choose which one you want to try tonight.
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Let's make it right away! Just pour and stir!
All you need is ponchuglia and sake of your choice. This time, we decided to make it with Koshinotsuru, which was given to us by a friend who had recently visited Tochio, Nagaoka City.
Incidentally, this sake has a light, dry taste, as is typical of Niigata sake, but is also moderately rich, so it is an all-rounder that can be enjoyed by any drinker. Of course it's delicious on its own, but what kind of sake cocktail can it be made into?
First, open the top lid. It can be easily popped open with your fingers, so even the weakest person can do it. Here, you may notice that the cup is made from a sake cup. This cup is made from the sake cups you often see in convenience stores. It's kind of nice to feel that the sake's DNA has been taken over.
This is what it looks like when you open the lid and look in from the top. Inside, there are different dried fruits for each flavour, as well as a different dried fruit and a peppermint sugar, among other things.
The sake is then poured into the cup. When you pour it into the cup, the Hakka Sugar rises and sinks in the cup, somewhat fantastically. Apparently, it is made to look like snow falling from the sky. This is indeed a product from Niigata, a snow country! It's a scene that would be a hit at parties and gatherings.
Then, gently muddle the mixture with a muddler or similar, and it is ready when the sugar grains are firmly dissolved. By this time, the whole mixture is lightly coloured and has the appearance of a cocktail. It takes about a minute from opening the lid to this point. If you make this cocktail together, you will feel even closer to each other.
The instructions for making it are also written on the side of the cup.
How does it taste? So much different fun with different flavours.
Let's try the sake cocktail we made ourselves!
This time we asked two women and one man in their early twenties, young people who may not be familiar with sake, to taste it.
'Oh my God, it mellows out the sake and makes it easier to drink. The apple and fruit flavours are like a sweet cocktail and are easy to drink, even for women. The cherry blossom flavour has a gentle Japanese sweetness. The cherry blossom floating on it is very elegant' (Yukio, female in her early 20s).
'The flavour is firmly sake, but there's a sweetness to it too. The dried fruit tastes great if you leave it to soak up the sake for a few minutes! It was a new discovery that sake and fruit go so well together' (Nabe, male in his early 20s).
'The gentle sweetness that lingers in the mouth is pleasant. 'It's interesting how the taste changes little by little, with the peppermint sugar dissolving slowly rather than immediately and the sweetness of the dried fruit oozing out over time! This is a new way of drinking sake, where you can enjoy the changes in flavour and taste it slowly. You could try pouring dry or sweet sake with different types of sake.
Young people were very satisfied with the new sake cocktail. The sake cocktail has no harshness, which is characteristic of sake, so those who had previously shied away from it can enjoy it with a different sensation. Be careful not to drink too much of the drink because it is so easy to drink.
Enjoy Ponchuglia in your own home!
The company that manufactures this Ponchuglia is FARM8, based in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. It can be purchased from the company's website. You can order just one, so if you are interested, please give it a try.
FARM8, web shop: https://shop.farm8.jp/
Ponchuglia: https://farm8.jp/products/ponshu-gria/
It is also available at Food & Lifestyle Market LIS, a select shop that opened in spring 2017 in Nagaoka City, where you can fully enjoy the individuality of the region.
Mr Kabasawa, the company's representative, says: "We want women and young people, who are increasingly turning away from sake, to enjoy sake more easily and more readily. We want more people to be able to enjoy Niigata's delicious sake", which is why Ponju Guria was commercialised. Ponshu Guria is a sake cocktail that makes sake easy to drink, even for those who don't like it on its own, and may soon become a new standard way of drinking sake.
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