shinnenkai nabe party — and a toast of Dassai bubbly

There is no finer way to mark the new year than sitting around your horigotatsu with friends, prime sashimi on the plate, a nabe hot-pot bubbling on the burner in front of you — and a nice glass of bubbly to toast life, health and happiness, warmth in winter, our nearest and dearest and all other blessings...

That cloudy little number in the glass is a nigorizake that's brewed to come foaming out of the bottle just like your favourite sparkling wine...

 

It's brewed by the excellent Dassai, in Yamaguchi...

 

Serve very carefully, they warn you. If you don't keep it nice and chilled, it can explode on you even more dramatically than when you pull the cork from a Champagne bottle

In fact, the kura is so serious about nobody getting hurt in the process, they hand out a manga type explanation on how to serve this sake. And to make it cool, it's mainly in English. "You gotta be careful!!" it says. Because if you don't, look what might happen...

 

Here's the little cartoon adventure in full:

 

PS: This was the nabe — a version of yose-nabe with oysters and cod, enoki and shiitake, tofu and hakusai greens, and chicken tsumire balls in a simple kombu dashi... Guaranteed to warm the cockles indeed.