Wondering which sake to bring to a big party?  An inexpensive nigori may be your perfect answer.  I've been to (and hosted) several "pot luck" style parties over the last few years, and brought several different kinds of sake.  The most popular by far have been the Ozeki and Sho Chiku Bai nigoris.  If you think about the food that people will typically bring and serve at a party, this makes perfect sense.  It's all very, VERY rich.  You'll get chips, dips, cookies, cake, cheese, etc. - basically a lot of rich, sweet, and salty foods.  If you bring your favorite daiginjo, it's going to be completely overwhelmed by the salsa, chex mix, and jalapeño poppers that will inevitably accompany it.  A rich, sweet nigori, however, will be right at home among this kind of fare.

Another benefit is that a nice thick nigori will almost always take people by surprise.  The results may vary depending on what kind of people you hang out with, but most of the folks I meet at these parties have had very little experience with sake.  Their previous experience with sake typically consists of a heated low-grade Gekkeikan they tried one time at a local hibachi restaurant.  The nigori makes a big impression before they even taste it.  "Why are you drinking milk out of a wine glass?  What is that stuff?"  It's something that will always get noticed, which in turn will give you an excellent opportunity to start talking about sake.

And once you've got them interested, it should be pretty easy to get them to take a sip or try a glass of their own.  And once they've tried it, their impression of sake has been completely changed.  Hardly anyone ever expects sake to taste like this.  Even if they don't like it, you have most likely opened a door for them.  Now they know that sake can be something they weren't expecting.  So the next time they have a chance to try some, they might not dismiss it as "something they had one time but didn't really like".

And, of course, most of these bottles won't break the bank.  The Ozeki and Sho Chiku Bai nigoris are made here in the US, so they are relatively inexpensive and easy to find.

Are they shining examples of premium sake?  Probably not.  Will they go over well at your next party?  Almost certainly.  So even though they may not be your personal favorites, or even if you're not a fan of nigorizake in general, you may want to consider giving these and similar bottles a try the next time you're trying to choose what to bring.