Translating sake's appeal.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Emily Nunn

If you've never dropped by an izakaya for an o-choko of really umami premium Japanese sake, don't feel all alone.

Few of us have an izakaya (an authentic Japanese pub) in our neighborhoods, and most of us wouldn't be able to distinguish an umami (particularly tasty) o-choko (small glass vessel) of sake from a bad one.

Never mind that access to premium sake has been extremely limited for so many years; the daunting terminology alone is enough to keep pilgrims traveling the road to sake enlightenment stranded in the semi-dark.

"On top of it all, people can't pronounce the names, so sometimes they'll just order the most expensive bottle," said Julio Burbano, the manager of operations at Mirai Sushi and at Ohba in Chicago.

Even if you can figure out how to pronounce them, it's hard to remember the names once you do, and it doesn't help much that usually the bottles are labeled in Japanese calligraphy.

On a recent night, Rene de la Cruz, who hosts sake tastings at Chicago's Up (Heat Sushi's new venture, a by-appointment-only tasting parlor next door that also sells bottles of premium sake and sake glasses), translated one of the beautiful labels on a particularly palatable bottle: Fragrant Flower.