Sake Love for Sake

Love for Sake

The attraction of sake is not easy to explain in one word. It is the most versatile, nutritious, and peaceloving drink on the earth. Once you get to know sake, the journey will be full of exciting discoveries.

I am Japanese and have lived in London for over 35 years. I fell in love with this 2000-year-old indigenous so-traditional Japanese beverage around 2006. I will never forget my first taste of sake, so many years after leaving Japan, and I remember thinking ‘Wow, this is not the drink I remember!’ I was right. The sake industry went through an evolution in the eighties and introduced a sophisticated fine sake called GINJO, which literally translates to ‘meticulously brewed’. From a grainy and rather sweet, ordinary, alcoholic drink, Japan created a light, fruity, floral and complex sake with great fineness and elegance. Sake was reborn!

Sake is not just a drink, but part of the culture and lifeblood of the Japanese people. It represents the true essence of Japanese philosophy and a way of life which values the concepts of minimalism, giving and solidarity. In Japan, sake is drunk on many occasions – to make a wish, to vow, to celebrate, commemorate or commiserate, to say hello and to say good-bye. It is the identity of Japan and has become a lifeline connecting me to my beautiful country and people. Another reason why I devote myself to promoting sake overseas is that I learnt the Japanese sake industry has been declining over the last 50 years. There were over 10,000 sake breweries all over Japan, but today just 1,200 breweries are operational and many of them are struggling to survive, due to an aging population and competition from other popular drinks like wine and beer. The image of sake has deteriorated amongst the youth, who see it as old-fashioned. These sad facts motivated me to support the sake industry and make it a mission to explore new markets in Europe and beyond.

The Sake Samurai Association, that I represent in the UK, was founded by a team of young sake brewers in 2006, to promote sake overseas and to preserve the national heritage. In partnership with the IWC, we created the IWC Sake Competition in 2006 which is now the largest and most prestigious sake competition in the world and contributes to global sake marketing. The great news is that exports of sake from Japan has been thriving over the last decade with about a 5 fold increase in value, despite the pandemic. Finally, the world has come to appreciate sake and we believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Introducing sake overseas has been challenging. In Europe, there are many misconceptions about sake in

people’s minds, such as ‘Sake is too alcoholic’, ‘it needs to be drunk hot’ and ‘Sake is only good with Japanese cuisine’. No, no and no, I say with a smile. Firstly, sake is not a distilled spirit, but brewed like wine and beer with an ABV around 15%. So, you can drink it just like wine and enjoy it in wine glasses. For food pairing, the incomparable beauty of sake is that sake doesn’t get into a fight with any food. Why not? Because, unlike wines, sake doesn’t contain high acidities and tannins which can combat the delicate flavours of food. On the contrary, sake is richest with organic amino acids called Umami that enhance the flavours of the food you eat with it. This is why sake is forgiving and compatible with the food culture in different countries.

The refreshing and umami-rich Urakasumi Zen is one of the best sake to match with seafood and oysters. Shirakabegura MIO is the most popular sparkling sake which is perfect as an aperitif and also great with fruits and desserts. Of course, I remember how wonderful it was to pair sake with rich curry in India.

Sake is versatile. There are many styles available, from traditional to modern ginjo style. Do try the extremely popular sparkling sake, fruit-infused ume-shu, yuzushu, and the rare aged sake called koshu. You can enjoy sake at different temperatures, from ice-cold to 55° C, depending on your mood, season and style of sake. Lastly, let me say that sake is made to enrich your life and bring the hearts of people together. I hope you feel excited to explore the allure of sake, and I look forward to the day we toast sake with Kanpai! L Rie Yoshitake is a sake promoter and consultant, and the UK representative for the Sake Samurai and the Japan Sake and Shochu Association.

Let the good times beGIN

The djinn of alcohol is popularly believed to have originated in England/Ireland. The truth is Gin was originally made by monks and alchemists all across Europe in the 11th Century. While Italian monks discovered its medicinal and disinfectant properties, it is Holland, where juniper berries were added to barley, which is the true birthplace of gin. The name comes from the Dutch word for juniper berries, genever. The Dutch doctor Franciscus de la Boa was the inventor of Gin in the 16th Century. It is now a distilled alcohol of 35% to 60% proof abv and there are hundreds of distilleries in Amsterdam alone.

In the beginning of the 19th Century, when the British occupied India, soldiers and the sailors in the Navy often travelled to destinations where malaria was prevalent. They carried with them quinine rations to prevent and fight the disease. To camouflage its bitter taste the British added water, sugar and lime. Erasmus Bond was awarded the first patent for tonic water in 1858 and Johann Jacob Schweppe’s company first introduced its own more palatable quinine and lime infused mineral water to the market in 1870. ‘Tonic water’ was named keeping its medicinal properties in mind. It was mixed with Gin and thus Gin and Tonic was born – in India.

During these voyages, the sailors carried London dry gin as beer spoiled quickly. Limes were added for their anti-scurvy properties. Cordials were made to preserve the limes and this combined with Gin made the quintessential Gimlet. It was in the latter half of the 20th Century that Gin was re-embraced as a cult and craft cocktail ingredient. In 2008, after several years of lobbying, Sipsmith became England’s first official small still distiller. Their facility on Portobello Road is a gin-lovers paradise with a working distillery, an interactive museum hosting gin history classes

and a small boutique hotel with guest rooms and restaurants.

There are over 6000 Gins in the world ranging from the classics to gins such as Ungava Canadian, Whitney Neill handcrafted, Botanist Islay, Caorounn and multiple small batch productions. It is no wonder that there is one for every palate. India’s first gin, Greater Than, sourced Macedonian Juniper and their more premium ‘Hapusa’ (Sanskrit for Juniper) uses Himalayan juniper and mango, coriander, turmeric and almonds.

One of my favorites – the 1st artisanal Japanese gin – KI NO BI (which translates to ‘beauty of the seasons’) is distilled, blended and bottled in Kyoto. It uses Japanese Botanicals like juniper, orris, yellow yuzu, Akamatsu (red pine) wood chips, bamboo leaves, green tea, kinome and sansho (Japanese peppercorn berries). At 45.7% abv, it uses a rice spirit base and pure ground water sourced from Fushimi, the famous sake brewing district. Each category of ingredients is distilled individually and then blended in perfect harmony to get the distinctive KI NO BI flavor.

While Tanqueray is good for Martinis; Botanist is smooth to drink neat and Monkey 47 is used to make a Negroni – one of the finest gin cocktails of all time. This Italian cocktail is made of one part each of Gin, Vermouth Rosso and Campari, and garnished with orange peel. A traditional Negroni is stirred not shaken and built over ice in an old-fashioned rock glass.

Another quintessential gin cocktail is the Singapore Sling, developed around 1915 at the Long Bar in Singapore’s Raffles hotel, by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. Gin, fresh lime juice, a dash of angostura bitters, cherry liqueur and Grenadine, Cointreau, Benedictine and pineapple juice are mixed. With precise measurements, the Singapore Sling is tart, refreshing and delicious. Poured in a lightbulb glass, it is garnished with a pineapple slice and a maraschino cherry.

Photo: Tony Hisget Photo: Sipsmith

In the last few years, I have also tried several small batch Dutch gins which, while flavorful on their own, when mixed with grapefruit or elderflower tonic water are taken to a subliminal level. Matching your gin and tonic is not just an art form but a necessity. You wouldn’t fit local tyres on a Porsche, similarly a great gin deserves a quality tonic to go with it. Artisanal tonic waters are a lot less sweet than commercial tonic water, and are more natural flavors. Fever Tree and Sepoy & Co have a range of flavorful tonics such as Yuzu, Grapefruit, Elderflower, Lemon & Mint etc. that allow the botanicals in your premium gin to shine through.

While I love playing with flavors and experimenting with different combinations, last week’s creative cocktail was one with St. Georges Terroir Gin (from the golden state of California), steeped with hibiscus brewed tea, some fresh nectarine juice – poured in a martini glass over crushed ice and topped with some grapefruit tonic, a dash of lime and a slice of nectarine as garnish - delightfully refreshing on a hot summer day! L Shalini Virmani is a hotelier by choice, interior designer by profession, poet and author by passion, and wine & spirit aficionado for love.