How to Celebrate International Sake Day

How to Celebrate International Sake Day October 1 marks the start of sake brewing season and International Sake Day. Celebrate with a warm or cold one at Ki Modern Japanese + Bar. By Kthe Lemon September 30, 2014 Barrels of sake in Japan. October 1st is International Sake Day, a…

How to Celebrate International Sake Day

October 1 marks the start of sake brewing season and International Sake Day. Celebrate with a warm or cold one at Ki Modern Japanese + Bar.

Barrels of sake in Japan.

October 1st is International Sake Day, a celebration that marks the beginning of the traditional Japanese sake brewing season.

Made from fermented rice, sake is often referred to as rice wine, but it’s really more like beer in its brewing process.

Like both wine and beer, the variety and difference in quality of sakes is significant, which has given rise to the job of sake sommelier – good work if you can get it!

Adam Snelling is the first person in Alberta to receive a sake certificate and is the sake sommelier at Ki Modern Japanese + Bar.

Ki provides a sommelier-selected flight of three premium sakes on its regular menu for $24 as well as a wide variety of chilled, warm, filtered and unfiltered sakes as well as sparkling sakes and sake cocktails.

For a limited time Ki will also carry one of the rarest sakes in the world – Hakurakusei Super 8. Ki was the only restaurant in Canada to get the Hakurakusei Super 9 last year and sold out as expected. The Calgary restaurant currently has three bottles of the Super 8, so get in soon to have a taste.

To make this rare sake, the rice is milled down over a 250 hour process to only eight per cent of its original size. This level of milling removes fats and proteins, leaving only the starch of the rice, which is then converted to sugar and then alcohol during the brewing. All of this processing makes the Super 8 a very delicate sake.

To celebrate International Sake Day, drop in and try out the Super 8, or if you’re not up for top-of-the-line sake, Ki will also be offering complimentary sake with lunch on October 1.

And if you want to celebrate at home, check out the recipe for Ki’s Sapporo Margarita – with beer, tequila and strawberry sake it’s a perfect cocktail for any number of truly international alcohol celebrations.

Kanpai!

Get a weekly serving of suggestions for how to experience Calgary's restaurants, bars and markets by signing up for Avenue’s Food & Drink Newsletter.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Privacy Policy

Privacy & Cookies Policy
Avenue Calgary