Alexander Purcell’s Sake Bomb and Fugu plates

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It’s great at a sushi bar, but serving sake at home can be a bit of chore: The traditional bottle and cups topple easily and need constant refills. Now, Alexander Purcell of the design studio Aprro, has made it a lot more appealing.

Inspired by the shape of fugu (the Japanese word for the spiny blowfish, or puffer fish) and World War II sea mines, Purcell created a unique decanter-and-cups set called the Sake Bomb -- an allusion to the distinctly American drink that involves dropping a shot of hot sake into a glass of beer. The 8-ounce slip-cast ceramic container, which is handmade in Los Angeles, can be microwaved or refrigerated to accommodate hot or cold sake.

The bomb’s spikes are all functional. One is a spout. One is a stopper. The rest are sturdy legs, or storage spots for the four-ounce cups.

‘It makes carrying enough sake for a group far easier,’ says Purcell. So does the non-slippery matte glaze, which, the designer adds, ‘is far more unexpected than glossy and makes it harder to conclude that it is ceramic, thereby creating a sense of intrigue.’ Indeed, it looks more like a piece of sculpture than a decanter.

The set, which is sold online for $98 at the Sake Bomb Store, is available in white, black, blue and orange. For appetizers, Purcell also designed the complementary colored Fugu plates shown above, which rest on feet that resemble the suckers on octopus tentacles. They cost $22.50 for a set of four.

-- David A. Keeps