Photo: Sushi Roku

World Sake Day is October 1^st and it’s more than just an easy excuse to offer Japanese drink specials. It’s a 1,000-year-old annual tradition in Japan that not only serves as a tribute to the beverage but also kicks off the country’s sake production season. It’s the perfect time to enjoy one of the most popular and often misunderstood drinks in the world.

Here are a few interesting facts about sake, courtesy of Sommelier Eiji Mori of Sushi Roku.

• Sake is made from fermented rice, but the rice is not the same grain that one would eat.
• To make sake, the outer layers of the rice grain are polished off – and the more the center is exposed, the more pure the finished sake will be.
• The three levels of sake are daiginjo (the most premium), ginjo, and junmai.
• While hot “sake bombs” can be popular, cold sake is best for pairing with food, especially sushi. Heating can obscure the quality of the sake and affect the taste buds.
• While many people compare sake to wine, it is actually more similar to beer, since it is not aged and made from a grain rather than a fruit. However sake still retains the nickname of “rice wine.”

 Fiji Mori also has some words of guidance for pairing sake with food.

• Sushi or sashimi pair best with daiginjo sake because the pure, light and clean notes complement the delicate fish without overpowering it.
• Acidic dishes (like Sushi Roku’s Salmon Carpaccio with soy truffle olive oil) are best served with the crisp, fruit-forward flavors of a ginjo grade sake.
• Cooked or fried dishes (such as the Japanese Fried Chicken “Tatsuta-Age”) pair well with junmai grade sake, because it has a bit more body and can hold up against heartier elements.

In addition to California locations in Santa Monica, Hollywood and Pasadena, Sushi Roku can also be found in Las Vegas inside the Forum Shops at Caesars.  

The happy hour at Sushi Roku is one of the best-kept secrets on the Strip. The extensive menu is offered Sunday-Thursday from 4-7pm, and Friday-Saturday from 4-6pm.

Highlights include…

• $5 beers, $3 hot sake, $5 well drinks and $6 champagne.
• Innovative appetizers such as NoriSenbei (crispy seaweed crackers with wasabi cream sauce) ($3), the newly added Edamame Hummus with crispy pita ($6), and Mushroom Tempura with truffle miso mayo ($5). These also happen to all be vegetarian.
• Select hand rolls ($4) and cut rolls ($6) that include the Rock Shrimp Tempura with jalapeño and A2 Fusion with albacore, onion, avocado and jalapeño.
• Sushi Roku’s signature dishes like the Rib Eye Wrapped Asparagus ($7) and Albacore Sashimi with garlic ponzu and crispy onions ($5).
• For dessert there’s Doughnut Holes or a mini version of Sushi Roku’s famous Chocolate Volcano for $3. Call (702)-472-9714 to book your private jet charter.