It’s after midnight at Pacha, the multilevel Midtown West nightclub known for its big-ticket DJs. Beyond the cushy seating on the exclusive top floor, behind a door marked “private,” DJs Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano prepare to play for the crowd, surrounded by fans and friends such as Victoria’s Secret models Doutzen Kroes (James’ wife) and Erin Heatherton (who’s dating Leonardo DiCaprio).
But while bottles of Champagne and vodka are strewn throughout the room, it’s the ice bucket filled with sake that the duo reaches for.
“Sake is dangerous,” Marciano says with a laugh. “You keep drinking.”
“But you don’t get a hangover,” interjects James, pouring them each a glass.
“It’s different little shots. You can have it in the [DJ] booth,” he says, mimicking the act of spinning and sipping simultaneously.
Sake, once a somewhat exotic beverage found only in Japanese establishments and ordered by few, is now the life of the party all over town.
Hard-to-pronounce names be damned, the rice wine (pronounced sah-kay, not sah-kee) is everywhere — on fine-dining wine lists, at nightclubs and bars, served straight and cold, and in cocktails.
Free of sulfites and preservatives, it’s low in calories and relatively low in alcohol — at least compared to distilled spirits. And it’s cheaper to buy at clubs: At Pacha, a bottle of Grey Goose vodka costs $400, while a bottle of sake is $100.
“Japanese food is No. 1 for DJs,” says James, pointing to stylish hotels, such as Okura in Amsterdam, that serve both Japanese food and drink. He and Marciano, who travel constantly, have bought sake bottles there to enjoy back at home.
But they’re not the only ones in the music biz enjoying the drink.
In May, hit maker Cee Lo Green joined TY KU sake as a co-owner.
“Over the last year, I’ve watched sake really take off in NYC, and wanted to get involved to help pioneer this trend nationwide,” he says. “It’s an unconventional [drink], and I’m an unconventional guy. It’s different, smooth, mysteriously foreign and a completely untapped market with huge potential for growth.”
Three years ago TY KU entered the NYC market with the hopes of expanding the horizons of 20-somethings who might otherwise order vodka by the bottle or in mixed drinks. Now it’s available at 364 bars and clubs around town, and at nationwide chains like Whole Foods and CVS. In NYC, sales have more than doubled since 2010.
“New Yorkers are known for being trendsetters, so the increasing rise in sake here is a natural,” says Tara Fougner, TY KU’s marketing director. “There are so many misconceptions, like sake should only be served hot or in small porcelain cups. When you have knowledge about sake, it is a really intriguing conversation starter. There is also a sophistication factor in ordering sake. It shows culture and worldliness.”
Jeff Roberts, head bartender at Williamsburg’s Parish Hall, says sake is now standard at higher-end downtown restaurants and clubs — whether Japanese or not. But what was once “trendy, cheesy and syrupy” — he recalls a sake lychee purée he once served — has evolved.
“As I learned more about cocktails, I revisited sake and found that it had potential as a component similar to vermouth, a strong wine that’s lower in proof and enhances a cocktail’s base spirit,” he says.
His $11 For Pete’s Sake cocktail mixes California sake with gin and amaro (a bittersweet Italian digestif). Roberts uses the brand Gekkeikan, which is also found by the glass and bottle in the VIP areas of Pacha.
There are currently more than 2,000 sake brands registered with the New York State Liquor Authority, says Kenichi Kuno of Nishimoto Trading Co., an importer, exporter and distributor of Asian food and beverages. Top sellers are Otokoyama Junmai Sake and Kurosawa Junmai, because they’re less aromatic, drier and more complementary to Western dishes and tastes.
Brands are also reaching out to local chefs to get the word out. This year, Michelin-starred Christopher Lee (Huntington Social, Aureole, Gilt) helped bring easy-to-pronounce Iki (which means “cool,” as in hip) to the US.
“My vision was to help bridge the gap between American palates and Japanese tradition,” says Lee, who collaborated with the Takasago brewery on the blend.
In the same way many restaurants carry, for example, Czech beers but don’t serve Czech food, sake is set to expand, says Eamon Rockey, general manager at TriBeCa newcomer Atera, which includes at least one glass of sake with every tasting menu’s beverage pairing. You can also find sake at Jamaican hot spot Miss Lily’s, in place of liquor in cocktails such as the mojito-like Pressure Drop.
Sommelier Aldo Sohm, meanwhile, added sake to his list at the vaunted Le Bernardin three years ago, and it’s been gaining popularity ever since. “We get more and more people asking for it,” he says.
But perhaps the most surprising sake selection will soon be found at Tuscan chef Cesare Casella’s new Madison Avenue outpost of Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto, which will open next month with a menu that includes Italian classics and 25 choices of the Japanese drink.
“It’s a good combination with salumi and antipasti,” says Casella, who thinks his customers will be excited, surprised and tempted by sake on the menu. “Excited because no Italian restaurant has sake. Surprised because it is something different. Tempted because we are going to have a cocktail list with sake, too.”
And nothing converts the Madison Avenue set like a good, diet-friendly drink.
SAKE FACT FILE
* Sake is brewed using four ingredients: rice, water, yeast and koji (an enzyme that grows on rice).
* The less polished the grain of rice, the sweeter and fruitier the taste. The more polished, the “cleaner” the taste. Sake made from the most polished rice is labeled junmai daiginjo (pronounced “die-geen-joe”), the highest grade of premium Japanese sake, and is sometimes called “ultra-premium.”
* Like wine, not every sake is right for every dish, but it pairs well with many types of food. It’s often used in cocktails in place of vodka and/or vermouth.
* Sake is easy to drink straight-up, and is low in calories (with about 35 calories per ounce, roughly half as many as vodka) and alcohol (at about 35 proof, roughly half the alcohol content of vodka).
TOP SAKE SELLERS
More than 2,000 brands of the rice wine are registered with the NY Liquor Authority
Kurosawa $40
Sweet and savory coconut, banana, vanilla bean and walnut aromas.
Otokoyama $60
Light and refreshing, with vivid acidity. Dry, with a fruity nose.
TY KU Sake Silver $15.99
Slightly sweet, with subtle pear notes.
TY KU Sake Black $21.99
Aromas of peach, with a subtle hint of spice underneath.
Iki $75
Delicate, light in body, with citrus on the palate and a soft, floral aroma.
Gekkeikan US $7.99
Herbaceous, with hints of grapefruit.