Pairing food and alcohol allows you to experience incredible flavors. If you’re a lover of sushi and Japanese cuisine you’ll love pairing your food with sake. Discover sake!
Sake is a Japanese drink made by fermenting rice. Sake contains rice, water, yeast, and koji. Koji is a type of mold that converts starchy rice to fermentable sugars, which promote the production of alcohol. Some people mistake sake for wine because its taste and brewing process is similar, but sake actually has a higher alcohol content than both wine and beer.
Like wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages, there are different types of sake. The two basic types are futsu and tokutei. Most sake is futsu sake, while tokutei is considered premium sake. There’s also gingo, which is a labor-intensive sake that requires cooler temperatures and longer fermentation times. Daiginjo is another type of sake that is traditionally made in small quantities and adheres to the traditional brewing practices. Daiginjo has a rich flavor and smell and pairs well with tempura and sashimi.
If you prefer your alcohol a little more on the sweet side, try honjozo sake. This sake is brewed in distilled ethyl alcohol, making it sweet, fragrant, and complex in flavor. It’s a perfect pairing for noodle dishes like Japanese ramen. Finally, junamai sake directly translates to pure rice sake. This version of sake has the most full-bodied and explosive taste because it is the simplest when it comes to ingredients. Rice, water, and koji are the only ingredients in junamai sake.
If you want to try sake for yourself, visit Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi Grill! We have premium sake and bottled sake for you to try. We are located at 100 Central Avenue, Suite 1022, in Sarasota, and we hope you will visit us soon!