Japans national beverage has achieved global renown, but its origins and practices are still shrouded in mystery. For those who want to learn more about sake, there can be no better guide than Eric C. Rath. This authoritative and entertaining book leads us from the drinking games of medieval samurai to the rope curtains of modern izakaya. * Jeffrey M. Pilcher, University of Toronto * There are many books on sake these days, but none like Kanpai, which takes us through the annals of the history of sake, from medieval temple sake recipes to socio-political factors that influenced sake legislation, and from the history of izakaya to the industry today outside of Japan: the breadth and scope of sake lore makes for a fascinating read. * John Gauntner, author of Sake Confidential and co-founder and managing editor of Sake Today *
