For the sake of sake

Hot, cold, straight up, or blended into a nouveau martini, sake is in. Now the beverage is getting a new kind of treatment: an entire museum exhibition. "Kampai! The Arts of Japanese Sake" runs through June 20 at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena.

"People mostly know sake as a drink they have with sushi," explains curator Meher McArthur. "I wanted to introduce the idea that sake is much more than a drink: how it is related to native religious traditions, festivals and celebrations." The bulk of the show consists of vessels for storing, serving and sipping sake, including a pair of portable, charcoal-fueled warming sets from the 18th century. There are also contemporary sake labels, 100-year-old shop signs and several whimsical prints that depict people and supernatural beings enjoying sake.

"People in Japan have long believed that sake is the drink of the gods and that when you're drinking sake, you're transformed into a state that brings you closer to the gods," McArthur says. "So traditionally, whatever you say or do under the influence of sake is forgiven -- in theory."

The one significant element of sake culture not explored in "Kampai!" is the actual tasting. For this, museum visitors are on their own. Or they can sign up for a lecture and tasting with a local expert scheduled for June 4.

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"Kampai! The Arts of Japanese Sake" at the Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays until 8 p.m. (626) 449-2742.