When I lived in the good ship California, I dabbled with Western wines, but I decided that I lacked both the brain power and the pocketbook to master such a ponderous course of study. I coupled, instead, my affinity for Asian cuisine with a smaller, more digestible subject matter (I thought), and read everything I could find about Japanese sake. Neither of those two prepositions led to any particular success - the study of sake is equally as complicated and detailed as that of Western wine, and good sake certainly doesn't necessarily cost any less!
Probably historically anchored in the Nara (奈良時代) Period (710–794 AD), sake (酒) is only one of the pronunciations of that Japanese character - the Japanese people themselves more commonly use the term nihonshu (日本酒), or "Japanese liquor". Western wine ferments natural fruit sugars into ethanol (alcohol), while beer starts with starches (grains), then first breaks those starches down to sugars, followed by a fermentation of those sugars into beer.
Sake mash - Nanbu Bijin Shuzo
What makes sake different is that the grain (polished rice) is broken down to sugars and the sugars are fermented,
all in the same indiscreet and simultaneous step. There's nothing else quite like it. An incredible feat, really, which requires exacting temperature control that - during some brewing stages - cannot vary by any more than a few degrees. I've tried brewing my own sake, and the result was more than impalatable - I couldn't come close to being able to control the temperatures to near the necessary degree.
The result, though, is something quite unique. First of all, sake has a great deal of ethyl alcohol - considerably more than either beer or wine.
Spirit |
Alcohol by Volume |
Wine |
9-16% |
Beer |
3-9% |
Sake |
18-20% |
Sake is test tasted after the brewing process to determine what balance elements might be called for, and, interestingly, sometimes that balance is struck by adding more water, while other times it's met with more added pure ethyl alcohol!
Wall of sake in Kōbe
Sake Gradations
Various characteristics determine how sake is titled - the polishing of the rice, choices made in the brewing stages, and the addition of water or alcohol during after-processing.
-- Junmai (純米酒) --
- "Pure" sake - no additional starches, sugars or additional alcohol added
- 30% of the rice kernel is milled away
- Intensely flavorful, puckering and explosive, but non-fragrant
If you warm any sake, Junmai would be the one (more on this later) - gentle heat softens the "bite". Can be a bit raw, but often selected for just that characteristic. Pair it with food which can benefit by added punch and fire, like yakitori, tonkatsu, or Western barbeque. You'll quickly prefer Junmai hands-down over beer when you fire up your grill!
-- Honjozu (本醸造酒) --
- Much like Junmai, but with added alcohol to soften the libation
- 70% of the rice kernel is milled away(!)
- Slightly more flavorful and modestly more fragrant - sweeter, but dank, "moldy", and pervasive
A "drinker's beverage" which is often sipped unpaired with any food, or maybe with chilled, mounded buckwheat soba noodles drizzled with sesame oil. Its softer drinkability often masks its hefty alcohol potency. The Friday night choice of Japanese bijinesumen (ビジネスマン: businessmen). Watch out - Honjozu can leave a mark!
-- Ginjo (吟醸酒) --
- Much lighter and more complex than the previous two
- 40% of the rice kernel is milled away
- Special yeast and techniques, lower fermentation temperatures, an "artisan" sake
- Lighter and more fragrant, "winelike", sometimes fruity or nutty, quiet but still quite substantial
This is a sake you'll choose for its taste elements. Otherwise quiet, Ginjo is characterized by its flavor notes, and is spoken in terms of evolving taste experiences before, during, and after consumption, much like Western wines. Right at home at the dinner table - match the unique taste of your particular Ginjo choice with your individual food dish for a heady experience.
-- Daiginjo (大吟醸酒) --
- Even more fragrant and flavorful than Ginjo
- 50-60% of the rice kernel is milled away
- Daiginjo means "very special brew".
- A very satisfying choice which is packed with flavor notes and flower-like fragrancy. Full, yet undominating - an inspired balance is struck betwen dry and sweet.
Due to it's advanced rice milling, Daiginjo is a complex, highly flavorful libation that's even more fragrant and taste rich than Ginjo, with a satisfyingly, brief, non-lingering aftertaste. When perfected, Daiginjo is certainly a very special brew - auspicious and memorable. My choice for sushi, sashimi, and seafood salads, veal, and shellfish as well as Western desserts.
Chilled, unfiltered Nigori (Nama)
Which grade is "the best"? There's no real choice - they all have their specialty. Overall, however, I'll find myself reaching for a bottle of Daiginjo more times than most.
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Hot or cold?
Cold. Heat can tamper with delicate flavors, but cold never does. The Japanese know this rule - they seldom, actually, heat their sake. You'll find hot sake on the arctic northern island of Hokkaido in neighborhood pubs, sometimes, but even bartends there will tell you that there's not a lot of taste in pub grade sake left to kill. And besides, it's -27C outside!
Sake is widely said to produce few if any hangover symptoms in many people (good), and it has a tendency to seem much less potent than it actually is (bad). It's true that the Japanese people joke about collecting all the sake of so little quality that native Japanese won't drink it, and sell it to Americans at triple the price (bad). And it's also true that sake is one of those magical consumable substances that can somehow meld and morph in character to match the dish it's paired with, like shōyu (醤油: soy sauce) does (good).
For a better than average sake experience in North America at a reasonable price, consider Momokawa Silver - brewed with the blessing of the Emperor in Forest Grove, Oregon. Or perhaps a bottle of stout, fruity, earthy Otokoyama, which, translated, means "Mountain Man", or clear light yellow Hakutsuru (White Crane) Junmai Daiginjo, which is described with terms such as melon, vanilla, white fruit, mango and pepper.
Can you cook with sake?
Yes you can - practically a topic of another entire diary entirely. You can make sake coolers, teriyaki sauce, or a Witch's Eye.
Or try one of my true favorites - a classic and delicious savory steamed-egg custard called Chawanmushi (茶碗蒸)
4 medium shrimp
4 gingko nuts (optional)
2 inch carrot
3 oz chicken breast
1 teaspoon sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 fresh shiitake mushrooms (thinly sliced, stalks discarded)
The custard:
3 extra large eggs, beaten
2 cups water*
1/2 teaspoon dashi-no-moto (or equal amount of dashi stock (出汁, だし))*
1 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Water
* Ratio of eggs to dashi stock/water is 1:3. The above measurement of water is for reference only
Blanch prawns and set aside. Cut the carrot slices into maple leaf shapes. Blanch in salt water and drain. Cut the chicken into small cubes and marinate in sake and soy sauce for 15 minutes.
Put all egg custard ingredients in a bowl and mix with chopsticks and strain into a bowl. Bring a steamer to boil and then set the heat to very low.
Divide the chicken, shiitake, prawns and carrots among four ramekins. Divide the egg mixture among the ramekins. Put the scallion on top and cover each ramekin with aluminum foil. Steam on low heat for 15 minutes. Insert a tooth pick into the egg and if it comes out clear, it’s done.
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Ikura and Black Caviar Chawanmushi
So try this the next time you find yourself in Japan - toast your friends by raising your sake cup with a hearty "kanpai!" (dry the cup!), smack the ass-end of your
sakazuki (盃:
sake cup) loudly on the wooden bar producing a sharp report, and let out a loud, guttural, self-satisfied
"Yōsh"!
Kosupure (コスプレ: costume play) loving Nihon-jin (Japanese people) will smile broadly at your bold, anachronistic imitation of a bawdy, ribald 17th century prefect of the Tokugawa Shōgunate!