With fermented tea and water tastings trending, why is it no surprise that sake tastings are up next? And today is World Sake Day, all the more reason to slowly sip and savor your sake flight from an ochoko, or tiny porcelain cup, perhaps as a companion to sushi?
The Japanese have a saying about sake: Nihonshu wa ryori wo erabanai, which means, "Sake doesn’t fight with food." It may sound surprising, but in addition to sushi, sake pairs well with chicken, vegetables and beef, and is a delicious match for umami foods, too.
Sake is made from fermented rice and is often referred to as “rice wine.” Technically, that is not correct, since wine is fermented from the sugar in fruit (grapes) and there is no fruit in sake. Rice starch converts to sugar, which converts to alcohol from yeast.
Sake is less acidic than wine, though it has around the same amount of alcohol (12 to 15 percent). It can be enjoyed in tiny ceramic cups, which are intentionally small to promote sharing. In Japan, it is traditional to pour for others, not yourself, and sake can be enjoyed warm or chilled, served neat or mixed into a cocktail.
We just discovered TYKU Sake, which is hand-crafted in Nara, Japan, and made from four ingredients--non-GMO rice, soft water, yeast, and handmade koji. It is free of gluten, sulfites, tannins and preservatives. Here are some delicious sake cocktails from TYKU sake. Just mix and serve!
BLOODY SAMURAI
2 oz. Sake
3 oz V8 juiceSplash of Siracha
Splash of Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Fresh Lime Juice
Salt & Pepper
Celery Stalk for stirring
SPARKLING!