The Taste

You're on a date at a Japanese restaurant, ordering drinks. You tell the waiter, "saké2me, please." Best-case scenario, your date obliges you with a laugh; worst-case, she thinks you're a complete fool. The concept makes sense -- flavored sparkling sake drinks -- but let's face it, the name is ridiculous. Saké2me?

Get past the name, however, and you've got a decent drink. Well, actually, you've got a junmai sake-based wine cooler. The different flavors are based on Asian ingredients. The Green Tea, an unappetizing cloudy brown liquid, is sweeter than any green tea drink should be, with honey overtones, but tasty nonetheless. The Asian Pear, cloudy white in color, has a nice crispness to it with a sweet pear-like finish. The Yuzu Citrus, glowing a fluorescent green, combines lemon, lime and orange. The Ginger Mango, a natural light brown-orange hue, balances the spicy pungency of ginger with the floral-tropical fruitiness of mango.

It will take quite a few to get you and your date tipsy. Single-serving bottles are small at 6.3 ounces, and the alcohol content is a mere 7 percent. That's not going to sock it to anyone.

-- James Oliver Cury