Sake (Part I)

Overall, the Sake Bomb is a bit of a novelty drink, where people who want to get silly pretend to be drinking actual spirits. And that’s cool if you want to get into the festivities of a white-washed hibachi session, but we chose the Sake Bomb as this week’s featured cocktail because we’re about to learn a bunch of things about sake that will encourage you to broaden your horizons and try sake both on its own and – next episode – as a targeted addition to really great craft cocktails.

Show Notes

At the beginning of the interview, we mention the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust), which is an organization whose business is education. Here are a few links to relevant resources here in the Washington, DC area and beyond.

• WSET Global Website
• Cru Classe Hospitality Corp. (Lara’s Education and Consulting Company)
• Capital Wine School (WSET education services in the Mid-Atlantic)

You can use these resources to find educational opportunities in the wine, spirits, & sake world. Although some of the curricula are being revamped, there are generally four certification levels (I, II, III, & Diploma).

Contact Lara

You can get in touch with Lara to say hello or submit an inquiry about her educational, food styling, or wine/spirits/sake evaluation services.

• Email: lara@laravictoria.com
• Personal Website: laravictoria.com
• Hospitality Services: cruclasse.ca
• Instagram: @laravictoria.cheers
• Sake Ratings/Reviews: sakesenseition.com

What is Sake?

Sake is a fermented beverage made from rice. I differs significantly from beer and wine in both its production methods and flavor profile. It is lighter in acidity than most wines, and there are many different quality levels and classifications.

Sake Service Temperatures

Sake can be consumed chilled, room temperature, or warmed (see chart below for precise temperatures). One fun experiment to try is to sample a bottle of sake at all three service temperatures to learn how the flavor changes as the temperature varies. To warm sake, a hot water bath or tea light is typically employed, but there are also specialized sake warmers available online for less than $50. Although it is not ideal, you can also use a microwave to warm your sake in a pinch.

Sake Service Temperatures

Storing Your Sake

Sake has a longer shelf life than most wines. Rather than having to consume a bottle within a day or two of opening to avoid spoilage (like a wine), you can store your open bottle of sake at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, which makes it a bit more flexible.

Sake Production

Koji

In order to break down the starches in rice into sugars that are accessible to yeast, the sake brewer (or Tōji) will employ a strain of aspergillus that creates important enzymes that eat away at the starches in the rice. This inoculated rice is called Koji, and it is responsible for a unique aspect of the sake making process: parallel fermentation.

The Magic of Parallel Fermentation

There are different types of koji that provide the yeast with different access to sugar, so depending on the Tōji’s desired fermentation length and heat, an appropriate strain of koji can be selected. Once the koji is added to the rice mash, it works in parallel with the yeast, with both chemical processes taking place in tandem to generate alcohol, carbon dioxide, heat, and flavor.

Sake Grades & Classifications

Sake is broken down into various classifications based on two primary factors:

1. The extent to which the rice is polished before production and
2. Whether or not distilled alcohol is added to create the end product

Junmai Sake

Any sake that does not contain added distilled alcohol, it is called Junmai. This is not necessarily a classification that refers to quality – it’s merely a term used to designate one aspect of the production methods.

Sake Grades

Most rice used to make sake is polished to remove the outer husk that contains problematic proteins and other compounds that can hinder fermentation. The more the rice is polished, the higher the grade.

Honjozo – At least 30% of the rice must be polished away before production.
Ginjo – At least 40% of the rice must be polished away before production
Daiginjo – At least 50% of the rice must be polished away before production

Although the level of polish will affect bottle price, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of the end product – merely the style. It is also worth noting that Honjozos, Ginjos, and Daiginjos can all either be classified as Junmai or non-Junmai.