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What is sake? When you ask this question in Japan and then in the rest of the world, you’ll get two different answers.
In English, “sake” refers to the alcoholic fermented rice beverage from Japan that you’ve probably sampled at your local izakaya (or local sake bar, if you’re lucky!).
Sake is having a makeover in Japan. The traditional spirit brewed with fermented rice is going the way of craft beer and shedding its fusty image for funkier and fresher tastes.
A growing number of startups are brewing sake with fruit and herbs and also offering food-pairing in hopes of capturing a bigger market. Increasingly, overseas sake brewers are paying attention, as Japanese companies seek opportunities for collaboration beyond the traditional domestic industry.
Whether you’re a total novice when it comes to enjoying Japan’s national drink or well-versed in the nuances between Junmai and Ginjo sake (and if you need a refresher, here’s our handy sake guide), it’s always worth having a bottle on hand for cocktails. With flavours that can range from earthy to saline to floral, sake is one of our favourite drink ingredients, especially when used to balance higher-ABV spirits like gin, as is the case in this beautifully garnished Sakura Martini from Manhattan’s Bar Goto and Brooklyn’s Bar Goto Niban, as well as sweet, acidic pineapple juice, which you’ll need to make a crowd-pleasing batch of Pineapple-Sake Sangria Punch.
Junmai is the Japanese word meaning “pure rice.” This is an important term in the world of sake, as it separates pure rice sake from non-pure rice sake.
Junmai is brewed using only rice, water, yeast, and koji — there are no other additives, such as sugar or alcohol. Unless a bottle of sake says “junmai” (this will be written in Japanese as 純米), it will have added brewers alcohol and/or other additives.
Sake took a few hundred years to develop after rice was first cultivated in Japan over 2000 years ago, with kuchikami-zake one of the earliest forms of the drink on record. No machinery or technology required, just those with strong enough jaws and teeth who could chew grains of rice. This ‘mouth-chewed sake’ would be spat into a vat and enzymes in the human saliva, along with natural yeast, would be left to produce an alcohol of sorts. Luckily for those of us who appreciate the finer points of the drink, more orthodox means of sake were developed as mentioned in the Kojiki, or ‘Record of Ancient Matters’ in the eighth century. A brewing department was also established within the Imperial Palace in Nara, in A.D 689, assake began the road to prominence.
Sake, also known as Japanese rice wine, has been around for centuries and is an important part of Japanese culture. In recent years, sake has been gaining popularity around the world, with more and more people becoming interested in its unique taste and flavor. There are many reasons why sake is becoming more popular globally. One reason is that sake is a very versatile drink that can be enjoyed in many different ways. I
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