A consists of the

flask Flask may refer to: Container * Hip flask, a small container used to carry a small amount of liquid * Laboratory flask, laboratory glassware for holding larger volumes than simple test tubes ** Erlenmeyer flask, a common laboratory flask wit ...

and cups used to serve ''

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

''. ''Sake'' sets are commonly

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

, but may be wood, lacquered wood,

glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

. The flask and cups may be sold individually or as a set.

Server

The server of a ''sake'' set is a flask called a ''tokkuri'' (). A ''tokkuri'' is generally bulbous with a narrow neck, but may have a variety of other shapes, including that of a spouted serving bowl (''katakuchi''). Traditionally, heated ''sake'' is often warmed by placing the ''sake''-filled ''tokkuri'' in a pan of hot water, and thus the narrowed neck would prevent the heat from escaping. In more authentic places such as ''

oden is a type of nabemono (Japanese one-pot dishes), consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon, konjac, and processed fishcakes stewed in a light, soy-flavored dashi broth. Oden was originally what is now commonly ca ...

'' bars and ''

ryōtei A is a type of traditional Japanese restaurant. Traditionally, only accept new customers by referral and feature entertainment by geisha, but in modern times this is not always the case. are typically a place where high-level business or po ...

'' in Japan, sake is sometimes warmed and served in metal containers known as ''chirori'' () or ''tanpo'' (). Recently, glass ''chirori'' are also used to chill sake.

Drinking cups

Formerly, sake was sold by volume in a wooden box measuring cup, known as a '' masu''

, Yahoo! Japan Dictionary/, accessdate=2010-12-22. which has a volume of one '' gō'' () and was also used to drink. In the past, the wooden box was said to complement the traditionally brewed sake, as it is brewed in a wooden

cask A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, u ...

(), but in modern times, the masu is shunned by sake purists because the wood affects the flavor of the sake. Furthermore, tradition requires the masu be filled to the rim as a sign of prosperity. Masu are now commonly made of

lacquerware Lacquerware are objects decoratively covered with lacquer. Lacquerware includes small or large containers, tableware, a variety of small objects carried by people, and larger objects such as furniture and even coffins painted with lacquer. Befor ...

or even of ABS plastic. As the traditional sake-serving cup and a symbol of prosperity due to sharing the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for increase/proliferate (), the masu is still used in modern times for the purpose of ceremony or to show generosity. In some Japanese restaurants, the server may put a glass inside the ''masu'' (or put the ''masu'' inside a saucer) and pour until the sake overflows and spills into the secondary container to symbolize this wealth. A japanese Wedding-J

Nowadays, the sake is typically served in ceramic cups. The cups used for drinking sake are generally small cylindrical vessels called ''o-choko'' or ''choko'' (, o- is an honorific prefix in Japanese used such as ''o-sake'' and ''o-makase''), but may also include flatter shapes such as wide-mouthed bowls. ''Sakazuki'' are ceremonial cups used most commonly at weddings and other special occasions such as

tea ceremonies An East Asian tea ceremony, or ''Chádào'' (), or ''Dado'' ( ko, 다도 (茶道)), is a ceremonially ritualized form of making tea (茶 ''cha'') practiced in East Asia by the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. The tea ceremony (), literally transla ...

, but larger versions of ''sakazuki'' also exist. While not a traditional serving utensil, a

shot glass A shot glass is a glass originally designed to hold or measure spirits or liquor, which is either imbibed straight from the glass ("a shot") or poured into a cocktail ("a drink"). An alcoholic beverage served in a shot glass and typically cons ...

is also used. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, it is used as a substitute for ochoko, while in Japan it is used in conjunction with masu. Sake

stemware Stemware is drinkware that stands on stems above a base. It is usually made from glass, but may be made from ceramics or metals. The stem allows the drinker to hold the glass without affecting the temperature of the drink. Stemware includes: * ...

is also used, which is essentially a glass sake cup elevated above a wide base. Sake stemware, as well as glass tokkuri, are now commonly used to serve chilled sake.

References

External links

Sake Flask Shapes Guide
*Yoshio Tsuchiya, Masaru Yamamoto (food styling), Eiji Kori (photography), Juliet Winters Carpenter (translation
"Saké servers"
''The fine art of Japanese food arrangement'',

Kodansha International is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' and ...

(Tokyo), 2002, p. 70. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sake Set Drinkware Containers Japanese cuisine Sake