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Annual Cat Day may be over, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop celebrating all things feline, does it? That’s right, as fond as we are of cats, we don’t really need a reason to express our affection for our feline friends, and in that spirit, some of the lovely reporters at our sister site Pouch decided to get together and come up with a list of the best cat-themed alcoholic drinks around. Cats and alcohol, now that sounds like a dangerously attractive combination!

To get their hands on some of the fun and tasty cat-themed drinks out there, our reporters used the services of major Japanese online liquor distributor Kakuyasu. Let’s see what their top five pics were.

Not surprisingly, our reporters found that there were quite a few “black cat (Schwarze Katz)” German wines among the drinks they were able to collect. In particular, many black cat wines are produced in the German village of Zell. Legend has it that long ago, there was a black cat in Zell that fiercely guarded a specific barrel of wine from anyone trying to approach it, prompting wine merchants to decide that the barrel must contain the best wine in the batch, thus giving rise to the line of Zeller black cat wine. But that’s probably enough wine trivia for now; we’ll move on to our reporters’ list of top five drinks: (Note: All prices except No. 2 are as advertised on the Kakuyasu site.)

No.5　Clement Klur Cuvée Manekineko Crémant d’Alsace Brut (3,180yen [US$31]) 
Named after the popular Japanese “beckoning cat” (maneki-neko) figure, this dry sparkling wine from the Alsace region of France ranked in at number five. Not too sweet and with a tinge of sourness, the wine should be excellent for cleansing the palate in between dishes. While one staff member commented quite favorably that “the wine had a refreshing, sharp taste, like what a Monday morning feels like”, there were also some unusual comments, including : “Very psychotic. It brings to mind images of doctors and white lab coats. Maybe a wine that Dracula might like.” Hmm, that’s a bit difficult to imagine. We hope we can get comments that are a little more, say, realistic and easier to understand for the other drinks.

No.4　P J Valckenberg Zeller Schwarze Katz Riesling (1,239yen [$12])
This German black cat wine took fourth place on our list. Comments on the wine provided by the Pouch staff included: “Can’t tell the difference between this and the wine we selected as number two,” “Seems like it has a slightly stronger flavor than the wine ranked at number two,” “The flavor seems to sooth and relieve your fatigue. It reminds me of a Thursday lunch for some reason,” and “The taste is quite weak and seems to have an ephemeral quality like a soft wind … or like a watercolor painting. It brings to mind images of pre-Raphaelite paintings.”  A wine that tastes like a pre-Raphaelite painting? Again, that’s a bit abstract and hard to imagine.

No.3  The Wednesday Cat (Suiyoubi no Neko) 350ml (12oz) can (252yen [$2.50]) 
This belgian white ale-style beer made by Japanese ale maker YO-HO BREWING COMPANY is a drink that may appeal to women in particular, with its slightly sweet taste flavored with coriander seeds and orange peels.  Some of the Pouch staff again had flowery, poetic comments with regards to the taste of the drink, like: “It tastes very fruity and reminds me of  how after school hours used to feel like,” or “It feels like an ocean wave, along with the sensation of your tongue being sucked in.” Other comments were more practical, such as: “It tastes weaker than Chinese Suntory beer,” and “It tastes like it’s been mixed with tea.” Well, however it tastes, we have to say the pop cat illustration on the can looks adorable!

No.2　Gustav Adolf Schmitt Zeller Schwarze Katz (Blue Bottle)  (suggested market price: 1,650yen [$16])
Number two on the list went to this black cat wine that comes in a lovely blue cat-shaped bottle.  Comments from the Pouch staff on the wine included: “Sweet but still sharp,” “Very rich flavor,” “Easy to drink,” “The wine seems to stick closely to the skin inside your mouth,” and “It makes me feel like I’m looking up at the sky from the bottom of a well.” Wait, what does a wine have to do with being at the bottom of a well? That last comment doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, but hey, the bottle is sure to make a beautiful vase or ornament after you’ve finished the wine.

No. 1  Gustav Adolf Schmitt Mosel Pri Katz Zeller Schwarze Katz (1,180yen [US$11.50])
Ranked number one by our reporters was this reasonably priced German black cat wine that both wine novices and wine experts alike should be able to enjoy. And here’s what the Pouch staff  had to say about their top pic: “Sweet and fruity,” “Very smooth and mild,” “The flavor brings to mind the weather on a fine spring day. It makes me want to sit in the sun and blow some soap bubbles while enjoying the wine,” and “It almost tastes like noble rot wine.”

So, there you have the list of top five cat-themed drinks as selected by our reporters at Pouch. They all look quite refreshing and seem like they would be blissfully relaxing after a day of work; we’ll have to thank the ladies at Pouch for giving us the recommendations. I just might be watching some DVDs with one of these drinks over the weekend, especially since Kakuyasu can deliver them right to my doorstep — not a bad way to spend the weekend at all. Here’s to adorable cats and good wine!

Reference: Kakuyasu online shopping site
Original article and photos by Meru (c) Pouch
[ Read in Japanese ]