Mikimoto (Wilmington,DE) 11/13

If you are in the Wilmington DE area this Sunday, come sign up and
enjoy an afternoon of Sushi and Sake.
Hosted by yours truly.

-George Kao

Japan Society Japanese Craft Beer Event

Japan's Beer Revolution:
The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Japanese Craft Brewing

Wednesday, October 5, 6:30 PM

Photo by Don LaVange.

Thanks to Japanese craftsmanship, gourmet ingredients and attention to quality, craft beer in Japan has recently experienced a revolution. Bryan Baird, founder of Baird Beer of Numazu, Japan, and Steve Hindy, Co-founder and President of Brooklyn Brewery, discuss the 17-year history of craft brewing in Japan, offering critical review by a market participant of the good, bad and ugly of an industry that has struggled to find its bearings in parallel with the rest of the country.

Followed by tastings from Japanese craft breweries as well as other beers that were the result of Japanese collaborations or influences from Japan.

TICKETS
$25/$20 Corporate and Individual Members

Buy Tickets Online or call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258, Mon. - Fri. 11 am - 6 pm, Weekends 11 am - 5 pm.

Reishu : Chilled Sake for the Hot Summer

It was hard to ignore the 100+ degrees we faced in Mid-July. Most of us found ourselves blasting the air conditioner and laying lethargically on the couch at home.  But I'm sure a few of you still had friends over and fired up the outside grill despite the sun's beaming rays.  As they say with true entertainers, the show must go on.

I too love to entertain, and the most important thing to consider is the comfort of your guests.  A good spread, libations a plenty, and a comfortable environment.

Without doubt, a chilled bottle of sake is the most elegant beverage to pour at times like this.  I love a good bottle of bubbles, but it just doesn't stay very chilled towards the end of the flute.  A cold brew is nice too.  But if you want to do something a little unique, Sake is a guaranteed way to leave an impression.

In Japanese, "Reishu" literally means Cold Sake.  This particular style of serving and enjoying very chilled Sake is one of my favorite ways to imbibe.

I normally recommend white stemware for Sake Service, but there are times where I deviate.  An outdoor soiree on a hot summer afternoon is precisely one of them.  I like to keep my ceramic little sake cups (called Ochoko) in the freezer and because each pour is relatively small, the constantly chilled sakes always pour chilled cup after cup.  And contrary to popular belief, you don't need to serve sushi with sake.  Grilled Chicken, Burgers, Lobster Salad, Clambakes all pair perfectly with sake.

This month, I'd like to turn your attention to 2 sakes I absolutely love.

Kikusui Funaguchi and Tamano Hikari Junmai Ginjo Reishu.

Kikusui in a Can (as some retailers have nicknamed it) is a big, bold, and viscous sake perfect for the outdoors.

Packed in a really cute can, this sake was the first ever Draft Sake in the market.  Nama (Draft), Genshu (Cask Strength), Honjozo (Fortified), these merits make for a one of a kind sake.

Tamano Hikari Reishu is packaged in a Tetra-Pak and can also be served right out of the freezer.  Depending on how cold you drop the temperature in the freezer, you can make Sake Slushies with these products.  Tamano Hikari happens to be Junmai Ginjo grade.  Relatively light with noticeable aromatic floral notes.  The packaging  gives you the freedom to carry it around without worrying about bottles or glassware breaking.

I personally like to toss these sakes in a large cooler with ice and enjoy them not only on the patio or deck at home, but also while on a boat, at a BBQ, or even a picnic at the park.

George Kao – NYMTC Sake Educator

Ramen Event (Part II)

Ramen Noodle Tasting : Ins and Outs of cooking the perfect Noodle

Do you know how to judge if a noodle is Over-Cooked, Under-Cooked, etc…?

You will, after this seminar.

Added bonus : Learn how to cook and season the perfect soft boiled egg like a Ramen King.

And for the finale, we will serve up what we consider the perfect bowl of ramen.

Cooking demo plus take home some of these special "Hanjuku Eggs" for your friends and family.

***

Date: Tursday, June 9th, 2011

Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Place: The Japanese Culinary Center

711 3rd Avenue, New York NY 10017

(on 45th Street Between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

Price: $40.00

Seats: 20

***

09-06-2011
Tickets Available: 20 Ticket Price: 40 click here to purchase tickets

Luckyrice Grand Feast 2011

Sake, Shochu, and Beer at the Luckyrice Grand Feast.
36th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Great Sushi Event

What a great event we had last night at the JCC.
Thanks to all who participated and we are looking forward to doing another of the same event hopefully very shortly.

Who doesn't love sushi rolls right?

Tasting at Cape Cod

Great venue. Great Distributor. Great Turn Out.
Can't really ask for anything more.

Our booth was busy through out the 4 hour tasting. A lot of interest and new leads.

Thanks to Kikusui Brewery for accompanying me on this trip.
We had a blast!