It's time to retire the collegiate sake bomb
Most Americans have long underestimated the beauty of sake, relegating the Japanese rice wine to a sad sidekick role, consumed only when dropped into a draught beer. Should you find yourself in the vibrant eating and drinking wonderland of Tokyo, leave your American sake-drinking ways Stateside.
You won’t find Japanese people bombing nor shooting sake inside the city’s enchanting bars. “The Sake Bomb is not a Japanese custom; it is a Korean custom,” says Toshio Ueno, a Master of Sake, Certified Sake Educator by SSI and WSET Certified Sake Educator—the only person in the world to hold those three certifications. Ueno says the only time you’ll see a Japanese person taking a shot is when their boss is trying to get them drunk.
As an executive instructor and the vice president of the Sake School of America, Ueno is the man to see if you want to learn a thing or two about drinking sake like a boss. We asked Ueno to break down some of the basics for people who want drink like a local in Tokyo. And just in case you’re not headed to Japan anytime soon, his tips work just as well in the States, too.
If someone is new to the world of sake, what should they know?
Premium sake—made from highly polished rice, daiginjo (大吟醸) or ginjo (吟醸)—should be chilled to fully enjoy its floral and fruity aromas and delicate flavors. But that does not mean hot sake is not good nor cheap. Less-polished rice grain sake is better at room temperature or warm, since the warmer temperature opens up flavors and umami components, and sometimes changes the sweetness and acid level, which level can be favorable. But it does not mean less-polished rice sake should not be chilled—it is someone’s preference.”
When you open a sake menu in Tokyo, what should you look for? How do you navigate the menu?
Look at menu photos [if possible]. Many restaurant have photos, but in high-end restaurants they don’t, so you should ask for junmai daiginjo (純米大吟醸), junmai ginjo (純米吟醸), daiginjo (大吟醸) or ginjo (吟醸), if you like aromatic and lighter styles. If you like more umami, you should ask for junmai (純米) or honjozo (本醸造) (less-polished rice sake). That is the easiest way, since they are most likely in Japanese Kanji (Chinese characters). First, you should select a restaurant where they speak English—that’s the first step!
Do you have a few favorite sake breweries?
You are asking which children are my favorite, which is hard to answer. All sakes are like humans; they have different characters.
Fair enough. In that case, what are three of your favorite sake bars in Tokyo?
Akaoni, 2 Chome-15-3 Sangenjaya, Setagaya-ku, Tōkyō
Kozue, Shinjuku Park Tower 7-1-2 3 Chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tōkyō
Sasahana, 1 Chome-1-4-9 Ginza, Chūō-ku, Tōkyo
And one last tip: To truly enrich your sake-drinking experience, go see how it’s made at the source. Find an expert to take you on your boozy journey, as traveling to a sake brewery can be complicated. GetYourGuide offers about a billion ways to immerse yourself in Japanese culture while you’re in town, including privately escorting you to a sake brewery and translating the tour experience. The biggest perk of booking a tour with the company is that you can throw all logistics woes to the side and let someone take care of everything (like paying for the tour, getting you on the right subway). It’s an idiot-proof way to take in whatever you want to see in Japan, especially when that means lots and lots of delicious sake.