Published on : 08 July 20212 min reading time

Japanese culture is becoming more and trendier. Today, focus on sake. This alcohol, also called “Nihonshu” is often known to everyone. However, the latter still has some mysteries: let’s lift the veil on this Japanese beverage.

The great myth

When we refer to sake, many people remember the great uncle who offered a glass of this Japanese bottle as a digestive at the end of family meals. Don’t get me wrong! This rice based alcohol is enjoyed throughout the meal, both as an aperitif and as an accompaniment to the main course. Sake, which varies from 7 to 18 degrees of alcohol, is not considered a strong drink. Another myth: it is said that it is better to taste it hot. Here again, it is a completely new invention: its temperature can vary from 5 to 55°C, and it would even be better fresh. Often linked to Japanese culinary art and especially sushi, it blends very well with Western recipes.

A “rice wine”

There is no doubt: what wine is to France, sake is to Japan! These two drinks, resulting from alcoholic fermentation, are two gastronomic emblems in their respective countries. Both are complex in their manufacturing and processing stages despite the simplicity of their ingredients (grapes for wine, rice and water for sake). They have quite similar aromas: fruity, spicy, floral… However, the two are not consumed at the same degree of maturity. Letting a wine age will only make it better while sake is appreciated young, during its year of production.

An amazing product

Sake is therefore a drink of great richness and variety. This alcohol has several caps and adapts to all tastes: more or less aromatic, more or less light… The same sake can be enjoyed at different stages of a meal, and can even be used as a base in some cocktails, such as in “sakeini”.

Don’t miss a taste of sake on your trip to Japan.