Because Man Cannot Live On Rice Alone

"Because Man cannot live on rice alone" is the creed by which the crew at Miya's (68 Howe St. New Haven) live, work, and play. Bun Lai, the proprietor, has been foraging through local woods with his most trusted henchmen (read: employees) in search of the most unique of local ingredients. These ingredients are not for his sushi, but rather for infused sake.
Bun has been fermenting his own sake for some time now, and tossing in things that at first glance seem like an experiment in beautiful anarchy. Truth is, many of these recipes are centuries old, such as the Gayanashagowa -- billed as, "the Iroquois peace drink that brought a thousand years of harmony".

Mo and I went down to Miya's last week to try these sakes out. Bun offers a Sake Sampler for $38.75. It comes with a brandy snifter of Ultraviolet Kisses, and small tasting glasses of 7 other infused sakes. The sampler is billed in the menu as being, "for 2 very close friends". It was actually a little much for Mo and I (amateurs), and quite a bit was left in each glass. Buy this for a crew of four (or more).

I'll do my best to describe each sake, as well as offer Mo's opinion (if she had one)...


EMERALD WITCHES' LIPS
This was infused with hand-picked green pine cones. The nose was very "piney" (not a word?), and reminded us of being in the Maine woods after a spring rainstorm. The taste, while still "piney", was actually quite citrusy (that's not a word either, eh?).
Mo: "Refreshing!"

GAYANASHAGOWA
The "Iroquois peace drink" is infused with Wisconsin ginseng and jasmine flowers. The jasmine is the first thing you smell, and even dominates the taste. There were also hints of edible flowers, much like the ones you can score at the farmers' market.
Mo: "This reminds me of flower arranging."

ULTRAVIOLET KISSES
"Ultrasalty kisses" was how our server described this one to us. It's served in a brandy snifter with seastones and ume - don't eat the rocks! This sake is aged with ume, and tastes a lot like seawater. This one is meant for slow, slow sipping. The first couple of sips are actually quite disgusting, but after the initial shock wears off, you can see why this one is Bun's favorite -- it comes out smoky, salty, and somewhat sweet. This one is for only the most refined of palates.
Mo: "Umeboshi!!!"

THE MAGIC GARDEN
This one is infused with wild dandelion petals. It took 2 people 3 full days to make 24 750ml bottles. It smells of orange and cloves -- think mulled wine at Christmas. It tastes mostly of butterscotch, with some of the orange and clove hints. I was reminded of a butterscotch candy.
Mo: "Smoky!"

CHEROKEE SUMAC LOVE POTION
Infused with hand-picked wild sumac berries, this one smelled and tasted quite citrusy (ok, still not a word). I immediately decided that if this was what sumac tastes like, the next time I find poison sumac, I'm rubbing it all over my tongue. (Our server explained the difference between sumac and poison sumac).
This one was my favorite, and Mo's second fave.

YELLOW FEVER
Guava sake. I could leave the description at that.
It smelled of a pineapple blended cocktail. It didn't taste as fruity as I would have thought from the smell. The alcohol actually overpowered the fruit just a little, and I hope this is corrected in future batches. I'm not saying not to get it -- just keep that in mind.
This one was Mo's favorite, and she downed the rest like a first year sorority girl at a UCONN frat party before I could even get another sip in.

CHINESE FIRECRACKER
Hot! Hot!! Hot!!!
No, really, it's friggin' HOT.
This one is infused with aged chili peppers, and was aged further in the bottle since January of 2006. This stuff even smells hot -- super hot. This one is not for the feint-of-heart. Mind you, while this concoction is super-spicy, it's quite well balanced. Unlike something like Dave's Insanity Sauce, it is not hot for the sake of "hot", and has quite a bit of flavor -- think hot, smoky salsa (but alcoholic).
If you like spicy foods, you have not truly lived until you have tried this sake!
This is my MUST BUY of the lot.
Mo: "It gets hotter at the end! I thought I was done!!"

DRAGON LADY
Apparently the last Empress of China's secret recipe, this one is infused with ginger, lemongrass, and clover honey. Any sweetness of the honey is lost in the taste, which is dominated by the ginger. You can still find traces of lemongrass in there. Vegans everywhere will hate me, but I'd like to see the next batch infused with more honey. The ginger, however, cancels out any alcohol taste, so beware of this one.
Mo: "eh."


If you haven't been to Miya's before, expect to spend another $20-40 per person, depending on how much you eat. There are amazing vegan options, and most nights Bun just brings you little dishes of things he's trying out. I'm unsure of the price (I think it was $35-50-ish), but on Wednesday they do a 10 course dinner for the meat/fish eaters. Much of it can be made veggie if desired.
If you're the type of person who gets creeped out when the server knows your name by the end of the meal, stay away -- there's a Denny's somewhere with your name on it.