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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

A smooth drink, sake is what you get when you add the lovely buzz of wine and subtract its bitter aftertaste
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A smooth drink, sake is what you get when you add the lovely buzz of wine and subtract its bitter aftertaste

Amrita Singh
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