Written by Michu & Momo Matsubara
Edited & Translated by Saki Kimura
On July 5, 2020, an event called “Sake x Sweets in Mirai Nihonshu-ten” was held at Mirai Nihonshu-ten in Shibuya PARCO.
This event is designed to enjoy pairing of sake and sweets in the “yuru-fuwa (casual and comforting)” way. It is a joint project by Momo and Michu, contributors to SakeTips!
The event was the idea of Momo, who works at Mirai Nihonshu-ten. She wanted to hold a women-only, casual, and fun sake event. With the collaboration of Michu, who is advocating the concept “SAKE×KAWAII,” it has become a reality.
Momo made tasty sweets with the sakes Michu selected and the participants enjoyed them. The concept of the project is just to have some fun with no professional knowledge.
Michu has selected four sake as followings:
・SIRIUS (Abe Shuzo @Niigata): Sparkling sake with a gentle sweetness
・HINEMOS HACHIJI (HINEMOS): Nigori (cloudy) sake with sweet and sour taste and silkiness.
・Fu. (Fukunishiki @Hyogo): The SMV is -60, but it has a crisp acidic taste and a refreshing finish.
・malola (Mitobe Sake Brewery @Yamagata): A milky SAKE using the Malolactic process.
Michu “The thing I was most concerned about was the appearance! I chose a stylish and lovely design that fits with my concept of “SAKE×KAWAII” and makes you want to take a picture of it.
Some of the participants at this event were not that familiar with sake, so I thought this selection could be a good opportunity for them to get to know that there’s such a stylish label of sake.”
Of course, taste is also important.
Michu “I like a light sake with sweetness and a delicate flavor that fades away, so I chose some that I honestly felt I liked when I tried them.
On my social media, I only post things that I sincerely feel are stylish and lovely, and that I like and enjoy. For this event, there were people who like my activity on social media and shared my tastes and values, so I made sure I didn’t waver from what I felt like.”
To go with this selection, Momo made six sweets as followings:
・Melon and Pineapple Cocktail with Gold Kiwi Sauce
・Pudding
・Honey Cheese Apple Tart
・Tiramisu Made with Kubota’s Sake Kasu (Lees)
・Pickled Dried Figs in Kubota Hekiju
・Sweet Honey Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
Momo「All four sake that Michu selected have a strong taste with clear sweetness and sourness. I used honey in all of the recipes except for the figs, as these sake work well with honey with its lumpy sweetness and unique tartness.」
All of the sweets are made to pair with all of the sake, but the following combinations are especially recommended:
・Melon and Pineapple Cocktail with Gold Kiwi Sauce × SIRIUS
・Pudding × HACHIJI
・Honey Cheese Apple Tar × Fu.
・Tiramisu Made with Kubota’s Sake Kasu × malola
Momo “For the cocktail, I selected melon and pineapple, which go well with SIRIUS. HACHIJI is a silky nigori sake, so when it melts in your mouth with the pudding, it’s like a single cocktail. Fu. tastes like sweet white wine, so it pairs well with cheese. The tiramisu for malola has a secret ingredient of white miso to mask the alcohol feeling, which makes it a great match!”
This time, five women in their twenties attended the event.
Some are attendees of Michu’s “Kawaii Sake Party” and others found out about Michu and Momo’s activities through Twitter. They are not only professionals working for the sake industry, but also beginners who got interested in sake very recently.
They enjoyed the event commenting “I never had the idea of combining sake and sweets, so it’s fun!” “Any combination is delicious!”
Momo “The pudding and cheese tart were particularly popular. It was fun to see the reactions of the attendees as the taste of the desserts changed from one sake to the next. Also it was interesting to see the difference between the most popular sake on their own and that which is popular in a pairing.”
Michu “Some of the participants said they liked sake but didn’t know anyone else who drank it around them. It was nice to see this event as a chance to connect with sake lovers!”
Despite the fact that the sweets made by Momo, such as tiramisu and pudding, are of a completely different flavor, Michu was impressed by how well everything went together with all of her sake selections.
Michu “We had the fruit as it is and paired it with sake, or added it to sake to make a cocktail. We also arranged the pudding with lime strained CALPICO, and tried pairing it with sake… Momo’s idea was not only delicious, but fun as well. I was surprised again thinking ‘Sake can be enjoyed so freely!’”
Momo “I’m glad that they were able to enjoy the food intuitively, without difficult knowledge, just as ‘delicious’, ‘fun’ and ‘happy’. Once again, a winner is whoever enjoys sake as much as they want to!”
In keeping with Michu’s concept of “SAKE × KAWAII,” Momo taught them how to enjoy the depth of sake at this event. Don’t think too much with your head, taste with your tongue and enjoy with your heart! We can’t wait for the next event by these two as they let us experience the magic and fun of sake!
