The Journal · Pillar
Sake guide, Japanese mocktails, and drink pairings to complement your meal.
Sake is served from a tokkuri, the flask, and drunk from an ochoko, the small cup, sometimes from a masu, the wooden box. The ritual is to pour for your neighbour rather than yourself. These simple gestures are part of the pleasure of sake.
Japanese lagers are dry, light and best served ice-cold. They cleanse the palate between bites and cut the richness of fried dishes without overpowering delicate fish. A guide to Sapporo, Asahi and Kirin, with pairings and serving tips.
Japanese cuisine offers a rich palette for non-alcoholic drinks: yuzu, matcha, shiso, hojicha, and umeshu-inspired preparations all pair naturally with sushi and counter-style dining.
Japanese sake is classified by how much the rice is polished and whether distilled alcohol is added. Knowing six regulated categories, from junmai to daiginjo, gives you a reliable map of what is in the glass.
Delicate sake, such as ginjo and daiginjo, is best served cold. Simpler sake, including many junmai and honjozo, can be warmed without losing character. Temperature is a tool, not a rule.
Sake is a unique fermented rice beverage, not rice wine. Made with koji, polished rice, and water, it reaches about 15% alcohol and ranges from dry and earthy to fruity and floral.
