Kanpai, It's Sake Day!

Raise an ochoko today and celebrate Nihonshu no Hi, or as known in English, Sake Day.

Saké Day originated over 35 years ago, in 1978, by a declaration of the Japan Sake Brewers Association and is now celebrated worldwide. Why was October 1 chosen? Interestingly, the Chinese character for Sake (酒) is very similar to the Chinese zodiac sign for the Rooster (酉), the tenth sign. Thus, the first day of the tenth month, October, became Sake Day. It may also be due in part to the fact that October is generally considered to be the official start of the Sake brewing season.

What are you doing to celebrate Sake Day? Let me provide some additional ways to learn about, experience and support Sake.

1) Tomorrow, and tomorrow only, you can get a FREE copy of the e-book of my first Tipsy Sensei novel, Gods, Demons & Sake, This exciting, supernatural thriller pits Nate Randall, a Boston-based Sake expert, against a terrible Japanese creature which seeks an ancient artifact of great power. In his quest to thwart this evil, Nate encounters other adversaries, including a ruthless Yakuza clan. However, he also acquires a mysterious ally, a sword-wielding man with his own secrets. The action spans the globe, from Boston to Japan, and the stakes have never been higher for Nate. Grab a copy of this novel tomorrow, which has ten 5-Star reviews on Amazon, while it is FREE.

2) Throw your support to the Kickstarter for Blue Current Brewery, an artisan Sake brewery located in Maine. As Dan Ford states, "the new brewery is ready and filled with an ever-growing array of shiny new equipment, ready to brew up the incoming ingredients. I just need a little financial push to make it over this last hump, to get our final smaller bits of equipment, oh, and to get that perfectly milled rice from Minnesota to Maine. There are also some marketing costs I’ll start accruing as soon after we begin brewing." Sake breweries are starting to pop up all across the country, and there are at least three in the planning stages for New England, including ones in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Blue Current is seeking to raise $33,000 "to ship the rice from Minnesota, to get bottling and pasteurizing machines to speed things up, and to help with the marketing and packaging expenses. There will be some setup costs to tie everything together," They have  already reached about 50% of their goal and there are about ten days remaining. Check out all the incentives you can get for a donation, including the chance to be a brewer for a day! They need a boost in donations so if you can give, then please support this local Sake brewery.

3) Have lunch or dinner, some sushi or Asian fusion, at Thelonious Monkfish in Central Square, Cambridge.  Besides enjoying some tasty food, you should also select some Sake to accompany your meal. I helped to design and select their new Sake list, so there are some very good choices available. For example, you could choose the Manabito Kimoto Junmai Ginjo, the Wataribune 55 Junmai Ginjo or the Shichi Hon Yari Junmai. The Sake prices have been kept at a reasonable level and a tasting flight should be available too.

4) If you want to learn more about Sake, check out my numerous educational posts at All About Sake. You'll learn about the basics of Sake, pairing Sake & food, Sake customs and legends, and much more. There are links to over 90 posts, so there is plenty to explore and learn. In addition, if you want some Sake recommendations, then please check out my Collected Sake Reviews, which has over 100 reviews of a diverse range of Sake. This is all an excellent starting point for your exploration of the wonderful world of Sake.

What has been the most popular Sake post on my blog? The clear choice is The Science of Sake & Food Pairings, an exploration for some of the scientific reasons why Sake pairs so well with many foods. Not only is it my top Sake post, it is also the fourth most popular post of all time on my blog. More recently, my most popular new Sake post has been Kibo Sake: A Drink Of Hope, a review of a new Sake from a brewery that recovered from the complete destruction of their brewery from the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011.

5) For more Sake reading, I highly recommend that you check out John Gauntner's newest Sake book, Sake Confidential. This book, from one of the world's top Sake experts, goes beyond the basics of Sake to provide more advanced information, though it is still very approachable. You can check out my review of his book, and hopefully it will encourage you to buy this book. John Gauntner is also part of another Sake project, a new magazine called Sake Today. This magazine is dedicated to all things Sake and you can read my review of the first issue here. The second issues has been recently released and you can now get a subscription to the magazine too.

6) Please know that I am available for hire for all your Sake related matters. I can work with restaurants, wine shops, distributors, schools, and other businesses as well as private individuals. I provide a diverse selection of services, including: Educational seminars, from basic classes to more advanced; Sake tastings, from small private affairs to larger groups; Sake and food pairings, from appetizers to dinners; Consultations on Sake recommendations for stocking in wine stores or restaurants; and other Sake events and activities.

If you are looking to hold a different event, something beyond the usual wine tasting, why not try a Sake event instead. Sake pairs with all types of cuisines so a Sake dinner could be held at any restaurant, from Italian to French, Spanish to a Burger joint. If you are interested in any of these services, just email me and we can discuss the possibilities.