Bartisans is a column in which we ask Beijing's best mixologists to share a creation of theirs. This month: Taka Yamamoto from Sake Manzo & Happi Sake.
The Drink. Namazake is a draft sake, traditionally drunk in Japan to welcome in the New Year. Unlike regular old sake, which has the rugged longevity of a bonsai tree, this unpasteurized rice wine is fresher, livelier and a very sensible festive alternative to eggnog and baijiu. It’s cloudy, never drunk warm, and is slightly effervescent with a young, aromatic flavor.
The Culture. Fresh new year, fresh new sake – the symbolism doesn’t need much explaining. But if you’re thinking of welcoming in 2015 with a glass then you’d better adhere to the ceremonial rules or risk a year of catastrophic luck. Everyone around the table takes three sips from the same cup, starting with the youngest drinker, finishing with the eldest. Tradition also states that women should clasp the cup with both hands, but men only the left, since the right should be clasped firmly on your samurai sword in case, say, war breaks out at any moment.
The Barman. The inimitable Taka supplies 16 varieties of namazake to about 60 different restaurants in China over the New Year period – try his own restaurants Sake Manzo and Happi Sake in Beijing where you can consult him in person. “I’ve been drinking this kind of sake every year since I was five years old,” Taka tells us, adding that he hated it when he first tried it. But as is the tradition, a bottle was opened every year around his family table (spring wouldn’t be sprung without it) and a love of sake blossomed.
The O-toso. Pictured above (on the left) is an o-toso, a ceremonial namazake drinking set of the kind most families in Japan will own. Its origins can in fact be traced back to Tang dynasty China, when it was used to drink medicinal herb sake.
> Prices vary; available from Jan 1 - Feb 18; Taka supplies namazake to numerous restaurants across Beijing, including Sake Manzo and Happi Sake
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