To drink hot or cold sake? Hmmm, the age old question! In early years, sake was served hot, due to being stored in cedar tanks. The tanks resulted in sake that tasted woody, rougher, sweeter and fuller so serving it warm made the most sense. Sake is now stored in stainless steel, ceramic-lined tanks. Significant advances in brewing technology and the development of new rice and yeast strains have resulted in sake that is more delicate and fragile. Adding heat would only destroy the hard work the brew masters put in. As a general rule, less expensive sakes are served hot (i.e. sake bombers in restaurants ) while the premium sakes are served chilled. Just don’t drink too much –depending on the variety, sake contains between 10 to 20 percent alcohol.

Sake is made from a combination of short grain rice, water, lemon juice, kome-koji (also known as malt rice), and yeast. Approximately 65 varieties of rice are designated as “sake rice,” some more revered than others. Omachi rice, from Okayama, is one of the most popular. There are over 1400 established breweries of sake, called kura, in Japan so picking the best brands to try can be a daunting task. Popular ones include Hakkaisan, Juyondai, and Koro. Note that sake is commonly served filtered, though many prefer it unfiltered.

Interestingly, if you traveled to Japan and asked for sake, you would be requesting any number of alcoholic beverages. The proper term for sake in Japan is “nihonshu.” It is meant as a drink to represent family, friendship and reverence. Tradition dictates that a person should never pour his or her own sake. The Japanese began mass production of this beverage, though its origins can be traced back to 4000B.C. China.

One of the most elegant aspects to drinking sake is the presentation. Tiny cups for drinking and artful bottles for pouring, sake sets are usually beautifully decorated or engraved. Food friendly, it is best served with fish and light dishes.

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