As some of you may know, my pen name pays homage to a somewhat famous, very accessible, easily transported brand of sake. One Cup (wan-kappu) sakes have a special place in my dark little heart, for their adorable cups and usually decent alcohol. It was also my first introduction to this Japanese drink. After having been drinking sake for quite some time, I started to become interested in the finer details of how it was made and stories about some of the breweries. After reading this article, I hope to—at the least—give you some new, unnecessary facts about a drink you’ll never have or perhaps open your mind to the exotic flavors of alcoholic rice. As they say on Most Extreme Elimination Challenge: “Geettiitt on!”
Ozeki (One Cup) – The OG One Cup and first sake brewery to start production in the United States back in 1979, thanks to California having wonderful rice (you’ll probably be surprised how much good rice is in the US at various locations). The actual One Cup started in 1964, when Japan hosted the Olympics. Japan’s also cool with having this stuff served in vending machines, both hot and cold. Easy access, and drinking in public is generally acceptable, so long as you follow some basic etiquette and local laws. This drink can be found in almost every Asian grocery store, although I will say, I think 99 Ranch does not have Ozeki (sad face). Also, we’re still not cool enough to stop hiding our alcoholism indoors, so finding a vending machine with this here in the US is also not going to happen. We get what we get.
Like most things, I base a lot of what I buy on the look of a thing. So, generally speaking, I get my one cups based on how cute I think the picture on the glass is. This means I have a lot of One Cups in my house, each with very cute designs. At this point, I am pretty sure almost all my drinkware consists of One Cup sake glasses and old-school red, bubble, Pizza Hut cups. So, the next couple of facts are about specific cups that I bought based on my desire for cute sake.
Chiyomusibi “Oyaji” – This is one of my favorite cups of sake. The glass features an eyeball bathing in a bowl of ramen, and is a throwback to an old Japanese cartoon/manga about an old one-eyed man. It’s Junmai, meaning nothing to you other than it’s what most people have the first time they try sake. Easy to drink, and one you can pretend to sip, but you probably won’t. You should buy two. I’m pretty sure H-Mart (the over-priced, tiny, neighborhood Asian grocer) has this in its stores.
Sake One – A local brewer in Forest Grove, Oregon, they brew excellent higher-end sake, with Momokawa, G-Sake, and Moonstone among them. Moonstone is one you can find in grocery stores, which is usually flavored with something like Asian Pear or some other delicious fruit. Sake One also has a club you can be a part of, which gives you a bunch of cool stuff…for a very cheap membership price. Like…unlimited sake tastings with a guest. You just can’t go more than once a day (boooo). Obviously, my partner gifted me this membership for my birthday, and I’ve been drinking in its benefits ever since. I mean, a drive to Forest Grove also allows me the trip to the best burger place in Oregon (or probably the West Coast). So it’s a win-win.
Sunflower Sake – Speaking of clubs, there is a local sake shop here in Portland, and I can’t say enough about the level of knowledge that the nerdy folks behind the counter have under their belt. It’s pretty insane, and they are more than able to find you something you will enjoy. I almost guarantee it. Tell them you like a specific whiskey or tequila, and they’ll tell you a sake you’d probably enjoy just as much. Inside the shop, they also have all these cute little cat figurines that they rearrange every so often to create various cinematic scenes. They also have a club…which I have joined as well. Never have I ever been disappointed in a recommendation they have given.
Alright, so I’ve talked about a few higher-end sakes, including the one cups. Those babies are about 4-6 bucks a piece at a grocery store. If you get higher-quality ones from a shop, the price will also start reflecting it, reminding you that you may need to dial down your drinking tastes. That, or just change how often you eat. So, I wanted to give a quick little diddy about a big ol’ bottle I buy from Fred Meyer’s fairly often when I’m wanting to drink, but not wanting to waste good alcohol on a drunken night of slothfulness.
Gekkeikan Sake (the big ol’ green bottle) – I feel like this sake gets a bad rep just because it’s a big bottle and it’s really cheap, but honestly, it’s not bad. I wouldn’t even compare it to any of those big “Barefoot” wine bottles, because it doesn’t give me a hangover, nor does it break the bank. At a typical price range of $7.99-$9.99, depending on the sale, I can get this big bottle of sake from Fred Meyer and walk out feeling like a well-traveled, less-trashy connoisseur of cheap alcohols. I was introduced to this big ol’ bottle from a dearly departed friend. She and I used to share a bottle and talk about trash TV and various fun physics facts from Neil deGrasse Tyson. Also, if you visit the Gekkeikan website, you’ll find this comic strip they’ve created in sections, which I think goes into the facts about how the 11th-generation head of the family took over the family business and made the sake brand a huge success. I say “I think” because it also really, really, really looks like it might be propaganda trying to cover up a murder of a brother, and the fact that the boy who was the new head was only 13 years old, with a mother who may or may not have actually been the one running things behind the scenes…but because she was a woman, well, you know, you gotta’ be a man to run a business—or a thirteen-year-old boy. Potato tomato. (Please note that my actual beliefs are that anyone can run a company if they put their mind to it. Whether you run it into the ground is up to you, not your gender.)
One more shortened fun fact…
Arkansas – Chris Isbell started growing one of the most prized rice varieties for sake in Arkansas, after he was pretty much told by everyone at this conference he attended, that it wasn’t possible to grow anywhere outside Japan. Chris pretty much did the equivalent of saying “hold my hat,” while he set aside a large amount of acreage to growing this rice. Successfully. The conference he went to was also not meant for farmers, but for PhDs and researchers. He ended up being the most popular person at this conference because of his “unicorn status.” He also said “howdy” to just the right person by accident, and now grows rice for one of the largest brewers out there. He doesn’t particularly like sake, but likes growing rice.
There you have it. Some very shortened, random facts about a drink I very much enjoy having at any time of the day. I would really recommend visiting Sunflower, as well as just picking a One Cup you think looks cute, and seeing what it tastes like. You won’t lose anything but 6 bucks…and end up gaining an experience, a collectible, adorable, new cup.
Hannah One Cup can be found drinking sake at home, while playing video games in her air-conditioned room. With the dogs who act way too interested in her drink to not have been humans or samurai in their previous lives. Kanpai!
