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The Joy of Sake is already the world's largest sake tasting outside of the rice wine's native Japan, and this year they're taking that title very seriously. This year's edition, which will be coming to Manhattan's Metropolitan Pavilion on Thursday, April 11, from 6:30 to 9:30pm, will feature a record 578 competition-level sakes available to taste alongside sake-inspired appetizers from some of the city's top Japanese restaurants. That's up from last year's sprawling 576-bottle selection—that is a lot of sake, and we are not complaining.
RECOMMENDED: Experience the best of Japan without leaving NYC (because flights to Tokyo ain't cheap!)
It is the festival's 20th anniversary, so it makes sense why the sake-pouring powers that be want to do it up big this year. The walkaround tasting showcases the full spectrum of sake styles in the premium daiginjo, ginjo and junmai categories, including many selections that are not normally available in the U.S. The sakes are conveniently grouped by category so attendees can explore each in-depth, including award winners from the U.S. National Sake Appraisal, a rigorous blind tasting conducted by 10 judges from the U.S. and Japan.
And you can't have that much alcohol flowing without food: on the restaurant front, exciting newcomers include ILIS (serving a scallop crudo with almond milk in gray birch oil), Mishik (a sliced Hokkaido scallop with Asian pear, ponzu truffle and shiitake emulsion) and Sake No Hana (a hamachi tataki with mandarin, ponzu and hearts of palm). Those rookies will join returning culinary favorites such as Bond St, Sakagura, Gugu Room, Juban, Rule of Thirds, Cha An, Sen Sakana, Taru, Sen Sag Harbor, Amami Bar & Restaurant, Towa, Yopparai and Zuma. You can taste your way through dishes like a springy chilled mazemen with yuzu ricotta, steamed duck breast with umami sauce, salmon tartare with prawn chips, and a matcha tiramisu with sake sauce for dessert.
The $130 admission fee includes appetizers from the participating restaurants and unlimited samplings of sake. You can snag a ticket now at the Joy of Sake website.
