THURSDAY NIGHT TASTING 6-8PM: SAKE SAKE SAKE SAKE
Once, sitting at a bar in lower Manhattan, just waiting on a friend, I found my eyes grazing across the many, many bottles in front of the long mirror on the other side of the bar. I thought about all the places these spirits came from, how long it took to develop each one, the families that worked for centuries to develop these traditions and the reputations of each individual dram. Dear reader, tears came to my eyes. Maybe that was a turning point in my life - it was certainly poignant and meaningful. Almost every week, we’re talking about and tasting wine, bottles that have an even longer, deeper heritage to uncover. But once in awhile we take a quick break from our favorite thing in the world (WINE!) to take a closer look at another of the world’s great drinks. Sake, like beer, is brewed rather than fermented or distilled, made from rice and of course, it comes to us originally from Japan. There are a few different major categories but like any beloved beverage, there are myriad variations. Tonight behind the Dandelion Bar we are very pleased to have Ryan from Joto Sake. One of the reasons we love working with her is that she has an amazing ability to bring clarity to this conversation. Come with all the questions you have had about Sake but didn’t have the right person to ask. She’ll be pouring a brilliant line-up of classic Sake styles, and one thing we’ll learn is that SAKE, just like wine or beer, goes very well with BREAD, CHEESE and ROCK! Don’t miss this one – you really will learn EVERYTHING you need to know about SAKE! Junmai “The Green One”: Sake rice’s starches are concentrated in the center of the grain. The first step to making sake is to mill or “polish” the rice to get rid of the fats and proteins. The more the rice is polished the cleaner, lighter, fruitier and more refined the sake will be. Most Junmai is made with rice that is milled to 70% or less of its original size. Joto Junmai is made by the Eiko Fuji Brewery, led by the 13th generation of the Kato family. True to the classic junmai style, it is rich and solid, but it is more inviting with its clean, fruity quality. $26
Junmai Nigori “The Blue One”: Joto Nigori is brewed by the Nakao Brewery, which was founded in 1871and is now managed by the 6th generation of the family. The brewery has pioneered revolutionary techniques and ingredients in the sake industry. Unlike most nigoris, which are syrupy sweet, Joto Nigori shows depth and earthy notes, which make it more food-friendly and sophisticated. $25
Junmai Ginjo “The Pink One”: (The Pink One - Hello!) The pink and red dots of this Junmai Ginjo represent the two kinds of yeast used to make this sake. The silver color symbolizes the merger into a delicious brew. Fruity, light, and floral, this Junmai Ginjo is brewed by Taka Yamauchi, maker of Watari Bune. Founded in 1854, the Huchu Homare Brewery is located in the town of Ishioka and is considered a national cultural landmark. $33
Daiginjo “The One with the Clocks”:“Dai” means great or big; “ginjo” is the upper echelon of sake. Daiginjo is the highest, the ultimate. To qualify as a daiginjo, the rice must be polished to 50% or less of its original size. Sake makers get rid of at least half of the raw ingredient they start with. This makes daiginjo’s elegant, refined and delicious. In Japan, Joto Daiginjo is sold under the Maboroshi brand as their “white box” Daiginjo. Maboroshi Daiginjo is made using an apple yeast that the brewery discovered in the 1940’s. $48
