Koji is the magical ingredient that makes sake unlike any other beverage in the world. You might even call koji the fairy godmother of sake.

If you’ve ever gazed into a glass of sake and thought, “how the heck does something that looks like water smell like a floral bouquet and taste like a fruit salad?”, yeast is your answer. Besides being the agent changing sugar into alcohol, yeast is responsible for the wild-ranging aromas and flavors found in a glass of sake.

Water plays an extremely important role in the body, weight and texture of sake. It is, after all, 80 percent water!

Looking in your pantry, it’s hard to believe rice, a shelf-stable staple in nearly all Japanese households, imparts such a gamut of flavors to a glass of sake. But alas, locked away inside those tiny grains are the building blocks to a truly exceptional brew.

An easy, comforting Japanese curry that works year-round, the ghee + apple + ginger combination makes it particularly well-suited for the fall. Don’t be scared to improvise on the vegetables; the aromatic curry roux works with any medley.

The deep, rustic flavors of Shichi Hon Yari call for a friend...and pepperoni pizza shows UP. Together, the flavors of the sake lockstep with the pizza's cheese, tomato, crust and toppings in perfect unison and my taste buds do the ultimate umami happy dance.

Dassai is one of my favorite bottles of sake to drink with Alyssa. The reasons, I must admit, are largely self-serving. I have yet to travel to Japan and now, with Covid-19 travel restrictions still in place, am begrudgingly assigned to live vicariously through Alyssa’s stories of her own time there. And no sake invokes as many vivid memories as Dassai 45.

After years of drowning the taste of microwaved sake in cheap cold beer, Yuki No Bosha “Cabin in the Snow” Junmai Ginjo was like a lightning strike that immediately woke me to what sake could be. After that, I began to explore the ginjo category as a whole, trying to understand how these complex floral, fruity notes could come from rice.

Big News...We are moving into The Urban Grape!

You may also know her as the baking genius who created The Koji Club’s outstanding Kasu Cake with Orange Blossom Sugar and Ginger Whipped Cream. Recently, I had the good fortune of catching up with Folu Akinkuotu to hear how Unsnackable and Humble Brag Diet, another cheeky-named creation of hers, came to be.

Folu Akinkuotu, sake kasu cake, and the one email you didn't know you needed

East Fork Pottery on color glazes, kid wisdom and making mistakes with the best intentions

A day brewing at Kato Sake Works

“We don’t reach for normal, we reach for better.”

In between kit deliveries, freezer meltdowns, pint-packing and Zoom happy hours, I caught up with Andy Mullins, Director of Operations and Beverage at OddFellows Ice Cream Co. to talk sweet, savory and what it's like to live out any child's dream job.

Steamed rice and pickles are the foundation of any traditional Japanese meal. When Candy’s cukes are served over warm steamed rice, the brine-soaked rice and cold cukes taste like you are eating effortless sushi.