The Joy of Sake Returns to NYC
The Joy of Sake
Thursday, April 30 from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.
Metropolitan Pavilion – 125 W. 18th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues)
Admission: $140
The Joy of Sake, the world’s largest sake tasting outside Japan, returns to New York City on April 30 with 492 competition-level sakes available to taste alongside sake-inspired appetizers from top restaurants.
Celebrating the ancient art of sake-brewing, The Joy of Sake is a walkaround tasting where attendees are able to taste the full spectrum of sake styles in the premium daiginjo, ginjo, and junmai categories from every sake-brewing region in Japan, including 293 sakes that are not available in the U.S. Sakes are grouped by style so attendees can explore each in depth, including recipients of silver and gold awards from the U.S. National Sake Appraisal, a rigorous blind tasting conducted by ten judges from the U.S. and Japan that takes place prior to the public event. This is an opportunity to sample bottles of the actual competition entries in excellent condition, both Japanese and U.S.-made sakes from local breweries such as Brooklyn Kura and Dassai Blue in Hudson Valley.
In the belief that sake tastes best in good company with great food, fourteen of New York’s top restaurants are preparing original sake appetizers for the event. Restaurants include BondST, Sakagura, Insa, Sake No Hana, Mishik, Towa, Yopparai, Sen Sakana, Rei, Juban, and Rule of Thirds among others serving dishes such as Deviled Egg with Toro Tartar, Broccoli with Tofu Cream & Caviar, Hamachi Temaki, King Salmon Crudo, Bluefin Tuna & Scallions, Kakuni Japanese braised pork belly, and sake-infused Matcha and Hojicha Tiramisu.
The ticket price includes food and unlimited sake tastings. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit The Joy of Sake’s website.
Photos by KK Chote for MST Creative PR and Michael Tulipan
Participating Restaurants
BondSt
Cha-An Teahouse
Insa
Juban
Mishik
Rei
Rule of Thirds
Sakagura
Sake no Hana
Sen Sag Harbor
Sen Sakana
SOZO Sip Bar + Omakase
Towa
Yopparai
About The Joy of Sake
The Joy of Sake launched in Honolulu in 2001 in conjunction with the U.S. National Sake Appraisal, a professional-level blind tasting and judging held under the auspices of Japan’s National Research Institute of Brewing. The 2024 Appraisal brought together seven expert sake judges from Japan and four from the U.S. in Honolulu for three days. The judges blind-tasted and rated each entry, with gold and silver awards going to those with the highest marks. The Joy of Sake is the public sampling and enjoyment of these sakes.
A non-profit organization dedicated to fostering appreciation for the ancient craft of sake making, its annual event is now the largest sake tasting outside Japan. More than half are ultra-premium daiginjo sakes, made from the innermost core of the rice grain. Every year, The Joy of Sake stages events in major cities, presenting hundreds of sakes, many not otherwise available outside Japan, along with sake-themed appetizers from top local restaurants in a lively festival setting.
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