The editor-in-chief of “Sake and Tsumami” verifies!” Hoppy White & Black “Best Matching & Most Evil Pair” – “The Perfect Child of Smadli”!

In the third issue of the magazine (released in August 2003), we conducted a project titled “22 Raging Hoppy Split Studies in a Row. At that time, the editorial staff verified what kind of taste it would have by mixing 22 kinds of liquors, from gin, red wine, and happoshu to habu-shu, with hoppy drinks. But at that time, we verified only white hoppy. This time, we heard that they were going to test it with black hoppy as well, so we really wanted to try it.

–Mr. Watanabe’s request, we prepared plum wine, vodka, Campari, and nigori (nigori sake). We added whisky to the five types of sake and mixed them with white and black hoppies to see how they tasted. By the way, what was your intention in selecting these four types of sake?

I simply chose the best three and the worst one in the project at that time. I won’t say which ones they are (laughs).”

–(Laughs) – I guess we’ll have to wait and see after the tasting, won’t we? Now, let’s start the verification. Let’s start with [whiskey with hoppy distilled spirit], which is a distilled spirit like Kou-type shochu, so the taste shouldn’t be blurred. I put ice in it, so I don’t know how much to add. The ratio is 1:5.

The ratio is 1:5. Both of them are distilled liquor, so it is not so different. When I try the black hoppy wari, I find the black one tastes better because of the flavor.”

-I am originally a black hoppy drinker, so it tastes even better. Let’s compare the same spirits again next time. Let’s try a vodka hoppy.

Compared to shochu, it smells a lot like alcohol. But both white and black are easy to drink. It is more comfortable than the whiskey we just drank. When I compare them, I feel that the whisky hoppy wari is a little more assertive in its own taste.

–By the way, what rank did the “Sake to Tsumami” editorial team give the vodka?

Second place. It was also highly rated at the time. However, you can drink vodka with hoppy liquor, but the alcohol content is 37.5. The alcohol content of ordinary Kou-type shochu is 20 or 25. It would be dangerous to drink such a strong drink at the same pace as shochu (laughs).

What are the best drinks that go well together, and which are the worst “don’t mix”?

–Next, let’s try [Umeshu with Hoppy]. We know that plum wine tastes best when drunk straight as it is. ……

It’s also delicious when mixed with hoppies. Both the white and black ume sake tastes come afterwards. It’s easy to drink and has a great affinity with hoppies. I think there could be a cocktail like this, and in a test 20 years ago, plum wine came in a very good third place.”

-That would mean that either nigori sake or Campari would be No. 1, and one of them would be the worst. I am very excited. Now, let’s start with the nigori sake with hoppy water. Oh, unlike the previous sakes, the color change is clear and visually interesting.

It’s easy to drink too. If it’s black and white, I feel the black hoppy wari is sweeter. Unlike plum wine, it also has a strong acidity. As you can probably tell by now, nigori sake was the number one match for hoppy sake out of the 22 varieties I tried. It is the defending champion, but after drinking it again today, I can see that Umeshu is a good competitor.

Originally, I was convinced that nigori sake would be delicious with hoppy drinks. A famous pro-wrestler I interviewed before the hoppy verification project told me that makgeolli mixed with beer is very popular among wrestlers and that they always have makgeolli in their dojo. ……”

–Wait a minute. If nigori sake is No. 1, that would mean that the last remaining kanpari is the worst. Isn’t it the last boss?

Yes, it is. But that was 20 years ago. I have a feeling that the result will not be the same this time.

–What do you mean?

In fact, the Campari we used for the verification at that time were leftovers that happened to be in the editorial office, and I don’t know when they were opened. This time, we asked him to prepare Campari that he had purchased just before this verification project. And since we will be splitting it with black hoppy as well as white hoppy, there’s a chance it will taste good.”

–I see!　Then, with great anticipation, I try the [Kampari with hoppy]. The smell is not very intriguing. …… It’s mazy!　This is like drinking a chemical. Moreover, a strange taste clings to my tongue.

Noooo, It doesn’t matter if it’s white or black. Maybe the combination with hoppy causes a strange chemical reaction. 20 years have passed and the result is still the same. So our taste buds weren’t wrong back then.”

-Every element of appearance, smell, and taste is the worst. Everything is bad, even the aftertaste on the tongue after finishing the drink. I love Campari soda, but I can’t have hoppy Campari.

I love Campari soda, but I can’t drink Campari with hoppy drinks. I’m really sorry to both Campari and hoppy for drinking it in such an inappropriate way.

The above is an examination of Hoppy’s potential as a smorgasbord. The best three for each are ranked as follows.

• Mr. Watanabe: 1, nigori sake w/ white hoppy 2, umeshu w/ white hoppy 3, nigori sake w/ black hoppy
• Author: 1, White Umeshu with hoppy drink 2, Black Nigori Sake with hoppy drink 3, White Nigori Sake with hoppy drink

This is my personal opinion, so please keep it as a reference. Enjoy your Smadri life by using hoppy drinks according to your mood of the day!