Summertime Bubbly

Hana Awaka sparkling Sake is an irreverent but glamorous nod to Pink Champagne... not quite as lovely as The Good Stuff, but not as low brow as Mountain Dew spiked with generic vodka either.

And it's the absolutely perfect refreshment on a warm weekday summer evening.

My friend Kelly and I discovered this sincerely sweet sparkling pink Sake on a road trip last year in Seattle.  We played the appropriate road trip soundtrack, (Annie Lenox, Ingrid Michaelson, Feist and Cat Power) and we stopped in at the Asian Market, Uwajimaya in downtown Seattle to shop for fruits and foods we'd never seen before and didn't recognize.  What we accidently discovered was this little treat:

Hana Awaka is lightly and bubbly, a sweet pink Sake that's in a very pretty bottle.  Cava and Prosecco are perfect light sparkling wines that I love to splurge on every now and again, and I usually keep a small supply on hand in the fridge to celebrate lifes everyday surprises. Now this Japanese version is added to my list of favorites.  The flyer at the market declared that it would "bring your taste buds alive with bursting bubbles," and it actually did. The flavor was light and sweeter than most sakes, which I enjoyed immensely. 

In Portland, we have precious few hot summer nights to enjoy sparkling wines, but you can find this particular beverage on the shelves of the downtown Burnside Fred Meyer store and at the Beaverton Uwajimaya.

It's super girly.

Best served with a bedable pink straw.

Pink of course.