sake bombs

the japanese drink, sake, can be drunk hot or cold. hot sake kicks ass, but heating the sake to the right temperature is often a problem... just last night after a couple of appropriately heated sake's, we accidentally boiled some (very sucky sake). Cheap sake' is almost undrinkable cold, but very nice hot.

so, the idea is to make little glass beads that initially float on the surface of the sake. As you heat the sake, the relative density of the water decreases. When the sake is 42 degrees, the sake bead drops to the bottom with a delicate 'clunk' sound.

i've seen this concept used before in a thermometer that my parents have, where there are a few glass beads in a glass tube - each glass bead has a temperature written on it (20 degrees, 22 degrees, 24 degrees - CELSIUS). Depending on what the actual temperature is, some of the beads sink (the ones indicated temperatures below the actual temperature) and the other beads float (the ones indicating temperatures above the actual temperature)

manufacturing the beads is easy - you try to get the air bubble inside the bead the right size, then you put them in a vat and heat it to 42 degrees, keeping the ones that behave correctly

it's not necessary to flame me if the beads will *rise* at the right temperature instead - i'm not sure if it's the thermal expansion of the water or the glass that allows these beads to be created. If they did sink when they got hotter than 42 degrees, then it would be good for the clunking sound & also ease of drinking.