Confused about whether sake should be served hot or cold? The answer depends on the type of sake. These two simple tips will help you serve and drink sake properly so you can enjoy its full flavor and avoid common mistakes.
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Spirits Editor
If you’re like me – or what I used to be like anyway – when you drink sake you do it at a bar or restaurant, often with a group of friends.
And you take it however they serve it, hot or cold.
Well I have news for you with these two big tips that will teach you how to properly drink sake. These tips come from a guided tasting with Tkyu Sake, where sake experts explained the proper way to serve and drink it—a few simple details that can make a big difference in taste.
Tip #1: Know When Sake Should Be Served Hot or Cold
When receiving the sample bottles before our taste test, I asked the Tyku representative if I should heat it up before the show. She stated no, that I should actually put it in the refrigerator.
The reason, she explained, is that sake is at its best when it is served chilled. If a bar or restaurant serves it to you warm or hot, it generally means that they are serving cheap or low-grade sake. That makes sense because my first sake experiences was having it hot out of a dispenser at a dive bar, the Hermosa Beach Yacht Club.
Tip #2: Use the Right Glass or Cup
Drink the sake in a sake glass – which is is slightly bigger than a shot glass – and fill it up to the rim. In fact, the traditional way to drink it in Japan is to overfill it and let it spill over into a small sake box.
Sake Bonus Tips
Unlike spirits, sake has a limited shelf life. It’s more like wine. Two months max, one month or less is best. It won’t really go bad or anything but it will lose much of its flavor after that time…Store the bottle in the refrigerator…You can make cocktails out of sake. One recipe is to mix it with juice and ginger. I tried it and it’s great.
And now, go enjoy drinking sake. Kanpai!
Q&As
Do you sip or shoot sake?
Sip it. Sake is meant to be savored like wine, not consumed as a shot.
Do you refrigerate sake after opening?
Yes. Opened sake should generally be refrigerated to preserve freshness.
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