Say kanpai!

In 2017 Riday Thakur director at Jorni Hospitality Pvt LTD started distributing sake pronounced sakeh in Mumbai A string of trips to Japan had cemented his interest in the countryrsquos national drink ldquoWhen I went to the Yamamoto Honke Brewery in Kyoto the owner a warm host took me through the entire process in detail followed by a wonderful tasting at her Izakaya a casual drinking establishment next door paired with chicken yakitorimdashit was just the most pure and perfect way to taste sakerdquo Serendipitously he also noticed a growing interest in ldquoeverything Japaneserdquo in India be it tourism food drink or even philosophy ldquoThat coupled with the fact that sake is a glutenfree drink made it an absolute nobrainer that this would workrdquoSakersquos popularity has only risen since Metros like Mumbai Delhi and Bengaluru are fertile markets adds Thakur but its high price point limits its accessibility A steep customs duty at 150 per cent and an additional 20 per cent GST makes sake an expensive beverage in India It is made using rice water yeast and a special mold enzyme known as koji Interestingly sakersquos soaring graph in India and even globally is in stark contrast to its trajectory on home turf In 2019 the US was the biggest importer of Japanese sake According to a survey on alcohol sales at retail stores in Japan conducted by marketing company Intage Inc in 2020 sake sales have dropped by four per cent whereas wine has witnessed a three per cent rise in the countrySommelier Nikhil Agarwal CEO of All Things Nice says sake like wine has a range of aromas and flavoursmdashfrom dry sweet and light to complexAt its peak in the 19th century there were over 20000 sake breweries in Japan but the number has reportedly dwindled to 1400 Experts attribute this to Japanrsquos ageing population modernisation of consumer culture and a newly acquired taste for other alcoholic drinks In his paper titled Tradition as a Solution to the Crisis of Japanese Sake Industry Noriya Sumihara PhD International Centre for Regional Studies Tenri University writes ldquoThe number of small local sake makers declines each year and large producers in Hyogo and Kyoto are also facing hard times With the rising popularity of wine beer and whisky Japanese consumers seem to be abandoning their own traditional drink Few years ago the Japanese government officially recognised the sake industry as the socalled fukyo gyoshu a depressed industryrdquoKura mi ami martini at Yauatcha is a unique twist to your regular martiniinfused with gin vodka sake and plum umeshuAccording to Thakur till about five years ago Indians primarily saw sake as a beverage that you enjoyed chilled or in the form of a sake bombmdasha Japanese cocktail that is prepared by dropping a shot glass filled with sake into a glass of beer Believed to have been invented by American soldiers who were occupying Japan after World War II the cocktail is more popular in America than it is in Japan ldquoToday however people are more interested in its nuances the various styles of sake which region the sake comes from and some even are even curious about the rice polishing percentagesrdquo he saysSommelier Nikhil Agarwal CEO of All Things Nice says sake like wine has a range of aromas and flavours ranging from dry sweet and light to complex ldquoThe textures range from crisp soft smooth to hard You also have sparkling sake which is light and fruity The variance in sake style can be attributed to how much the rice has been polished the degree of filtration and whether it has been pasteurised a second timerdquo he explains Categories such as junmai using only rice water yeast and kojimdashthere are no other additives such as sugar nigori unfiltered and nama unpasteurised reflect the variancesSake sour at ToriEvery bottle of sake has a rice polishing percentage printed on it ldquoThis basically represents the percentage of rice that is left after the husk is polished offrdquo shares Kevin Rodrigues sommelier at KA Hospitality Pvt Ltd ldquoFor example if the bottle says that the sake has a 70 per cent rice polishing ratio it means that only 30 per cent of the rice has been polished away This ratio greatly affects the taste of the sake because the rice husk and outer portion of the kernel contain more protein and fat than the inner portion of the rice grain These are the components that affect the flavouring of the sakerdquo Which means the higher the rice polishing ratio the lighter and smoother the sakeA celebratory drink sake has been traditionally offered to the gods during the Shinto festival in Japan ldquoWhile yoursquoll get it at a restaurant in Japan through the year in a regular home there itrsquos usually served on an occasion It is made out of sakamai sake rice a hybrid rice that has over 100 certified varieties all biggergrained than table rice and never eatenrdquo says Rodrigues At Hakkasan and Yauatcha sake has been steadily gaining popularity To lend the drink more familiarity Rodrigues has introduced it on the cocktail menu Hakka he says is a well balanced and delicate mix of vodka sake and the tropical flavours coming from lychee juice lime coconut and passion fruit ldquoThe kura mi ami martini at Yauatcha is a unique twist to your regular martinimdash infused with gin vodka sake and plum umeshurdquoRiday ThakurKharrsquos Latin Asian restaurant Tori offers a variety of sake including futsushu junmai ginjo junmai daiginjo and honjozo ldquoFutsushu is usually the entry level sake where no rice milling is required Junmai daiginjo and daiginjo are the most premium ones in which at least 50 per cent of rice milling is requiredrdquo says bar manager Mohan Barkola Your average sake typically has 13 per cent to 17 per cent ABV ranking it rather high among popular alcoholic drinks but not quite at the level of hard liquor Traditionally sake is consumed in small cups called ochoco clay cups Barkola says the best way to drink sake is chilled however warm sake is also now in fashion Too much heat can actually impair its flavourWhile both sake and wine lend themselves to contrasting or complementing food pairing with the former you can go a notch higher in intensifying the food ldquoThe high amino acid content in sake makes it pair well with food as it heightens the umami which enhances the taste and emphasises the rich savoury elementsrdquo says RodriguesPart of enjoying sake boils down to being open to its diversity and understanding its different grades ldquoYou just need to try itrdquo says Agarwal ldquoExperience the different options and then see what works for you Personally I have not found too many people that have tried sake and said it was not for themrdquo Barkola agrees There is no such thing as good or bad sake ldquoIt all depends on your palate and preferences Some may like the fruity and floral note of the hana kizakura while others may go with bold and sharp notes of hakushika junmai genhsurdquoWhen in Japan remember the rulesgtgt Never serve yourself Your sake should be poured by your companion and you should likewise return the act of hospitality and pour for themgtgt Use both hands when pouring and drinking Sake is poured from a tokkuri carafe held with two hands one to hold and pour the other hand supporting the bottom The cup should be lifted off the table when someone is pouring it for yougtgt Start drinking once everyone has a full cup The host will raise his cup for a toast and say kanpai cheers then everyone follows his lead and raises their cup