It is World Sake Day (October 1) and where better to celebrate than at Birmingham’s underground Japanese bar. Shibuya Underground – sharing a name with Tokyo’s bustling neighbourhood – is offering customers a six-course tasting menu covering sake and Japanese-inspired cocktails.
In recent months, Shibuya Underground has brought traditional Japanese customs and flavours to Birmingham. In celebration of World Sake Day, owner and sake sommelier, Samuel Boulton, alongside bar manager, Klára Kopčiková, are debuting two new liquid tasting menus. Doubling the options from two to four, and will be live for six months.
These two new menu offerings are fully focused on sake too. The first is a revision of the sake beginners menu, which previous attendees may have already sampled in another form, but is perfect for those to the Japanese rice wine. While those of you that consider yourself as sake specialists, there is a menu for connoisseurs.
The other two menus available include a non-alcoholic tea menu. Shibuya Underground has worked alongside the UK’s prestigious tea importer, Lalani & Co, to craft this. While the last menu is an all new cocktail menu concocted by its award-winning cocktail team.
“Since opening, we’ve gaged great interest in sake newbies and experts alike,” said Klára Kopčiková. “It’s been fun to bring the experiences to so many people who wouldn’t have normally found themselves sipping a cup of sake or learning about Japanese culture through our cocktail journeys.”
World Sake Day celebrations don’t just stop at tasting menus, however. Shibuya Underground will debut its new Sake School on this day. And from October 6, monthly sake events will offer an evening of deeper dives into all things sake, led by certified sake professionals. To find out more, and learn about Sake Society memberships, head here.