Saké has been drunk in London only as long as London has had Japanese restaurants, which is less than half a century. The first wave of restaurants were aimed at Japanese bankers and captains of industry entertaining on expenses, but the second wave were aimed squarely at Japanese students and expatriates – and many tended towards the far more affordable, and jollier, izakaya approach. Then things stepped up a few gears around the turn of the millennium. London’s new wave of Japanese restaurants were self-consciously fashionable and aspirational, and began attracting clientele who had never set foot in Japan. Knowledge of saké was limited among these new customers, and so a new phenomenon was born – the saké sommelier (see box below).

Zuma

Zuma Restaurant in Knightsbridge blazed the trail when it opened in 2002, employing the first saké expert, Sayaka Watanabe, to guide diners and drinkers through the 40 or so unfamiliar styles. To this day Zuma’s bar remains one of the most chic London bars to explore saké in, and still attracts a glossy, high-maintenance crowd of international jet trash who think nothing of spending three figures (SUB: = £100 or more) on a bar bill of sakés or saké cocktails. The artfully designed modern Japanese restaurant is also excellent, but it ain’t cheap at upwards of £60 per head.

Link: Zuma

Shoryu Ramen

Rather more affordable is the Soho branch of Shoryu Ramen, just off the tourist trap that is Piccadilly Circus. This relatively recent noodle bar has no seats in the small bar area, but it does have saké sommelier Mimi Tokumine, who is usually on hand to offer advice (ring in advance to confirm she will be there, as the other, non-Japanese staff know little about saké). With 40 sakés to choose from, there will always be something to suit your taste and budget, and you can eat here for around £15 per head. Be warned it’s not a bar though; you won’t be seated until all your party arrives, and you’ll have to order food.

Link: Shoryu Ramen

OTHER GREAT PLACES TO DRINK SAKE

Kirazu

This little Japanese ‘tapas bar’ serves delicious (if pricey) nibbles, and has an annotated saké list of a dozen diverse styles with small glasses starting from £4.50.

Link: Kirazu

Yama Momo

That rare thing, a Japanese restaurant with a decent saké list in a residential suburb of south London. The bar at the front is an attraction for local folk.

Link: Yama Momo

Life

This is the hipster option, close enough to Old Street and Shoreditch that you can get there on your fixie bike or skateboard. And no-one in the slightly grungey basement bar will mind.

Link: Life

Chisou Knightsbridge

This branch of the high-end Japanese restaurant chain tends towards the traditional in approach and feel, and is not a place for the bargain-seeker. However they run a monthly saké club (typically £30 per event), which is a good place to meet like-minded enthusiasts.

Link: Chisou Knightsbridge

Yashin Ocean House

This fashionably modern Japanese restaurant has a great selection of sakés, some by the 300ml flask (so you don’t need to buy a whole bottle).

Link: Yashin Ocean House

Roka

A central London branch of Zuma, now with three branches. The Fitzrovia original has a bar in the basement serving saké and shochu cocktails.

Link: Roka

Saké sommeliers – it's a London thing

A saké sommelier, like a wine sommelier (waiter), is trained to match drink to dishes, and to guide customers to the style – and price – they like. London is where the Saké Sommelier Association was founded in 2006. It’s the only organisation of its type outside Japan. The SSA independently trains, tests and awards sommeliers in their saké skills, many of who go on to work at high-end Japanese restaurants around the world.

Link: Saké Sommelier Association

Done hopping through London’s finest saké -serving establishments? All that’s left is a tasting trip to the source, with its multitudinous specialist nihonshu bars, downtown izakayas and seemingly endless selection of saké varieties.

Sasagin

An excellent place to start any exhibition into the world of real Japanese saké, Yoyogi-Uehara's Sasagin more than merits a special trip. Overseen by an Anglophone sommelier with an immaculately trimmed 'tache, this long-running izakaya comes armed with a well-chosen selection of nihonshu, housed in glass refrigerators just behind the counter. English-language drink menus make life easier for newcomers, and the staff are eager to provide recommendations.

Link: Sasagin

Moto

Those partial to saké can’t go wrong at this shrine to rice wine, located right next to an actual shrine. The resident saké master’s collection is complemented by an array of delicious snacks, and the wall decorations proudly display signatures of top Sumo wrestlers who have visited. The clientele ranges from saké snobs to construction workers, and visitors can ask for personal recommendations of food and a compatible glass of drink.

Link: Moto

saké breweries in Akita

Drinking will only get you so far – to learn the deepest secrets of saké, visiting a brewery is essential. Akita’s are some of the best in the country, so the trip will be worth it.

Link: #092 Learn the joys of sake