Say kanpai!

Sake, the brewed rice wine from Japan, may be losing favour in its home country, but in India, it’s only drawing fans

In 2017, Riday Thakur, director at Jorni Hospitality Pvt LTD, started distributing sake (pronounced sa-keh) in Mumbai. A string of trips to Japan had cemented his interest in the country’s national drink. “When 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 yakitori—it was just the most pure and perfect way to taste sake.” Serendipitously, he also noticed a growing interest in “everything Japanese” in India, be it  tourism, food, drink or even philosophy. “That coupled with the fact that sake is a gluten-free drink, made it an absolute no-brainer that this would work.”

Sake’s 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, sake’s 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 country.

Sommelier Nikhil Agarwal, CEO of All Things Nice, says sake, like wine, has a range of aromas and flavours—from dry, sweet and light to complex

At its peak in the 19th century, there were over 20,000 sake breweries in Japan, but the number has reportedly dwindled to 1,400. Experts attribute this to Japan’s 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, “The 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 so-called fukyo gyoshu [a depressed industry].”

Kura mi ami martini at Yauatcha is a unique twist to your regular martini-infused with gin, vodka, sake and plum umeshu

According 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 bomb—a 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. “Today, 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 percentages,” he says.

Sommelier 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. “The 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 time,” he explains. Categories such as junmai (using only rice, water, yeast, and koji—there are no other additives, such as sugar), nigori (unfiltered) and nama (unpasteurised) reflect the variances.

Sake sour at Tori

Every bottle of sake has a rice polishing percentage printed on it. “This basically represents the percentage of rice that is left after the husk is polished off,” shares Kevin Rodrigues,  sommelier at KA Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. “For 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 sake.” Which means, the higher the rice polishing ratio, the lighter and smoother the sake.

A celebratory drink, sake has been traditionally offered to the gods during the Shinto festival in Japan. “While you’ll get it at a restaurant in Japan through the year, in a regular home there, it’s usually served on an occasion. It is made out of sakamai [sake rice], a hybrid rice that has over 100 certified varieties, all bigger-grained than table rice, and never eaten,” 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. “The kura mi ami martini at Yauatcha is a unique twist to your regular martini— infused with gin, vodka, sake and plum umeshu.”

Riday Thakur

Khar’s Latin Asian restaurant, Tori, offers a variety of sake, including futsushu, junmai ginjo, junmai daiginjo and honjozo. “Futsushu 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 required,” 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 flavour.

While 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. “The 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 elements,” says Rodrigues.

Part of enjoying sake boils down to being open to its diversity and understanding its different grades. “You just need to try it,” says Agarwal. “Experience 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 them.” Barkola agrees. There is no such thing as good or bad sake.  “It  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 genhsu.”

When in Japan, remember the rules

>> Never serve yourself. Your sake should be poured by your companion and you should likewise return the act of hospitality and pour for them

>> 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 you

>> 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

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!