LIFE/TRAVEL: Food June 4, 2008

Tasting Notes: Saké2me is meant for sipping!
For those of you who haven't caught snippets of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
on YouTube, a barely pubescent Goldie Hawn was the "sock it to me" girl, and
Richard Nixon famously intoned the line on the show before being elected president.
Hence, the source of the name Saké2me, a perky new beverage in 6-ounce bottles
that's surely aimed at the pool 'n' party crowd.

Saké2me starts with basic junmai sake imported from Japan. It's then lightly
infused with carbonation and Asian flavors: green tea, Asian pear, yuzu citrus
or ginger- mango. What's it like? Slightly sweet and lightly fizzy against a
rice-wine backdrop.

The most recognizable flavor is ginger-mango, which has an earthy, distinctly
fruity aroma and flavor. Yuzu, a type of Japanese citrus we've seen fresh here
about two weeks of the year at Central Market, has an edge between lime and
orange peel. Asian pear is soft, subtle and round, while green tea is the most
enigmatic: You feel more than taste the tea tannins, and its touch of sweetness
evokes root beer.

Not surprisingly, it's as easy to sip as soda pop. But at 7 percent alcohol, slightly
more than beer, it's not a chugger. Or at least it shouldn't be.

Watch Saké2me catch on: as cool as baby sparklers at a fraction of the price.
A four-pack is $14.99 at Centennial, Cork, Whole Foods Market, Central Market,
Goody Goody, Majestic, Quik-Way and Mr. G's.

Kim Pierce

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