Sake or rice wine: This traditional Japanese drink is smooth and versatile

Amrita Singh gives the traditional Japanese drink a shot and finds that it is smooth and versatile

When alcohol doesn’t taste like alcohol, you're in trouble. On a Thursday evening at YUZU, a Japanese restaurant in Delhi, this was the experience as a group of friends got together to savour the versatility of sake, or rice wine — the traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage that has been part of the country’s culture for the past 2,000 years.

A smooth drink, sake is what you get when you add the lovely buzz of wine and subtract its bitter aftertaste. At 13-16 per cent, its alcohol content is similar to that of wine. And because you can drink it at any temperature (cool, room temperature or warm), this spirit can be consumed any time of the year. 

While select Japanese restaurants across Delhi and Gurugram have now begun serving sake cocktails and shots, the beverage isn’t as popular in India as Japan would want it to be. Besides, with sake cocktails starting at Rs 750, its price, too, is on the higher side. 

H E Kenji Hiramatsu (pictured), the ambassador of Japan to India, hopes to fix this situation by making sake an accessible, casual drink that can be bought and had anytime, anywhere.

H E Kenji Hiramatsu, the ambassador of Japan to India

There are about 1,500 sake brewers in Japan. This means one can expect to taste 1,500 types of sake, as each brewer brings a different taste to the table, ranging from sweet to dry.  

Though sake is brewed across Japan, most of the production takes place in the prefectures of Hyogo, Kyoto and Niigata. Hiramatsu says the global demand for Japanese sake is growing and the export records are being re-written every year. “We recommend Indians taste sake without any hesitation, if they have not tried this wonderful beverage yet. I am confident that you can find your favourite sake once you try it,” he says.

While regular sake is best enjoyed with Japanese cuisine, sparkling sake is great with spicy Indian dishes. And, aged sake goes well with tandoori chicken. But to truly enjoy the Japanese gastronomic experience, Hiramatsu recommends pairing sake with sushi. 

In March 2018, Japan and India signed an agreement on the sanitary certificate on fishery products exported from Japan to India. This will create more opportunities to source fish from Japan and make authentic sushi easily available.

To truly enjoy the Japanese gastronomic experience, Hiramatsu recommends pairing sake with sushi

Meanwhile, to popularise sake in India, the Japanese embassy plans to hold food events, undertake promotional activities such as business-matching events and publish articles on the beverage in major wine and liquor magazines. “All over the world, the popularity of Japanese cuisine and the number of Japanese restaurants has increased since the inscription of Washoku, traditional Japanese cuisine, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Unesco,” says Hiramatsu. The number of Japanese restaurants is gradually increasing in India, too. Today, several bars in five-star hotels serve Japanese sake. A few have started serving sake-based cocktails as well. High-end liquor stores also stock it.

Hiramatsu, however, wants to see it being promoted as a casual drink rather than a novelty. Last year, the Japanese embassy in Delhi invited sake brewers from Japan and introduced them to potential importers in India. This year, it plans to invite Asami Sudo, Miss Sake 2018, for “An Evening with Sake”, a by-invitation-only event to be held at the Japanese ambassador’s residence on September 8. (Miss Sake is an annual contest to select a sake ambassador whose then helps present and market the beverage to different countries around the world.) Like last year, this time too potential importers will be invited to encourage India to raise a toast to sake.

Back at YUZU, meanwhile, the friends have just finished trying “sake bramble” — a refreshing cocktail with berries. Next up is sake shots with jelly. The drink is silky smooth. It doesn’t burn the insides. And it barely hits you. Clearly, when alcohol doesn’t taste like alcohol, you're in trouble.