Sake Day
September 27, 2013
Sake Day. Sake Day? Sake Day! October 1st is international Sake Day. The amazing Japanese drink will be celebrated around the world on October 1st. There will be parties and celebrations to enjoy and savor the venerable rice based drink.
Contrary to popular belief Sake is not wine, but rather is more similar to beer in its production method. It is not fermented—but rather it is brewed, as it is starch that must become sugar to produce the alcohol. Sake is made with rice and as with virtually any alcoholic beverage there is a difference in the quality of the product. Factors in the quality of sake are, the rice, the water, the terroir and the production methods.
The rice used in Sake production is called Shuzo Kotekimai. It is a bigger style of rice. As mentioned you use only the starch to make sake—so the rice must be polished to remove the bran and skins of the kernel. It is a mark of high quality when you see sake that is 40% or 50% polished. You are getting handcrafted sake that has had loving care!
As with beer, Water is the second most important ingredient. Sake producers try to find the perfect wells. The finest producers use a single water source once they have found the proper levels of minerals and the perfect taste. A famous region is Nada-Goyo in Hyogo Prefecture. There are more sake producers here than any other part of the world!
In order to properly celebrate Sake Day, you have to drink it properly! Sake can be drunk warm or chilled. I prefer chilled because the flavors jump out and envelop your taste buds. Sake is meant to be shared! My Favorite Sake is Ty-Ku. Ty-Ku is the preferred drink of Ce-Lo Green! Ce-Lo is involved in a big campaign to bring Sake to the world! His campaign with TyKu is called Share on! It is traditional in Japan to always pour for your guests first! Use Hash tag #worldsakeday on photos, tweets and posts of yourself to win prizes and be featured in the TyKu gallery!
Ty-Ku has three types of Sake. Ty-Ku Black is a super premium Sake that is polished over 40%! It is one of the finest sakes in the world and has won many awards! TyKu Black can go great with sushi—but also pairs amazingly well with white meats and exotic cheeses! TyKu Silver is the flagship. It is polished more than 30%. But the flavor is a little more robust than the black. Therefore it pairs well with red meats and even pasta! For the adventurous Ty-Ku has a coconut infused sake. Unique in the world—but its subtle sweetness is really cool! Don’t forget sake is completely gluten free and contains no Sulfites or Tannins!
If you prefer cocktails, Ty-Ku has options! Ty-Ku Sake makes an amazing addition to many of your favorites! Tri it with cranberry juice and Vodka for a new twist on the Cosmo! Or simply add it to Iced tea for a great healthy low Cal drink! Only 70 calories!
TyKu also has an unbelievable liquor. Ty-Ku Citrus is a Soju (Japanese distillate) based liquor. It is florescent green! It is made with 4 different Asian Super fruits like YuZu, Mangosteen, and Goji Berry! The bottle even glows! It is a cool gimmick—but the product can standalone! It is light and refreshing! And it is only 65 calories per serving!!! Guilt Free. I tried a Super fruit Mojito! It is 2 oz. of TyKu Citrus, fresh mint, squeeze of lemon and a splash of diet soda! Only 89 calories—but amazingly refreshing!
This is only a few of the ways to enjoy Sake or Tyku Citrus. Enjoy World Sake Day—you will be transported to the amazing traditions of the Far East! So while you are watching Ce-Lo on the The Voice enjoy his Sake and #Share on! Kanpai !!(Cheers)!!
