For the most part, sake has a standard degree of alcohol content, but if you look hard enough, you can always find one that matches your particular brand of stiffness.
Depending on where you live, sake may still be on its way to reaching mainstream status, and so you might not be crystal clear on how strong these drinks really are. Since they’re often incorrectly referred to as “rice wines,” it’s easy to assume they have comparable alcohol contents. And, since they frequently feature a sweet and sour profile, people in western countries might mistakenly believe they’re not as strong as they actually are.
So, let’s first answer the burning question of how much alcohol you can expect to find in sake, and then look beyond that to the extreme highs and lows of this versatile beverage.
Generally speaking, your average sake has roughly 15% or 16% alcohol by volume (ABV), ranking it rather high among popular alcoholic drinks but not quite at the level of hard liquor. To clarify, here’s how it stacks up against its peers in average alcohol content:Beer-5%, Champagne-11%, Wine-15%, Sake-15-16%, Shochu-250-30%, Whiskey-40%, Vodka-40%, and Tequila-40%.
So, on average, sake does in fact resemble a slightly stronger wine. Looking at the list you can even draw a correlation between the alcohol level and common manner in which they’re imbibed. Beer is swigged from large pints and pitchers, while champagne and wine are sipped from smaller glasses. On the higher end of the spectrum spirits like vodka are either consumed in single shot glasses or mixed into cocktails.
How To Drink Sake
Traditionally, sake is consumed in small cups, called “ochoco,” that are generally comparable to shot glasses. However, there’s a recent trend towards enjoying sake from wine glasses in the belief that these vessels help to enhance flavor and aroma.
Anyone attempting to drink sake from a pint glass may find themselves in for a rocky morning after, but that doesn’t mean you can’t drink a lot of sake in a single session. You just need to do it properly and in moderation.
Next time you enter your favorite Japanese bar or restaurant, try asking your server for a yawaragimizu (“easing water”) along with your sake. As the name suggests, yawaragimizu is simply a serving of water in the same volume as the sake it accompanies. Essentially, it’s a chaser.
While chasing sake with tiny cups of water might not evoke the rugged, romantic of stoic samurai pounding ochoco, yawaragimizu goes a long way in ensuring a night of boozing doesn’t get out of hand.
Once you master the way of yawaragimizu, you might just be ready to tackle the stronger side of sake: genshu.
Regardless of temperature, don’t shoot your sake. Sake is a fermented rice drink. It’s not a beer, wine or liquor. The alcohol content is higher than beer or wine, typically 15-17%. Just sip it, kind of how you would enjoy wine or tea.
If you remember these three things: 1) Don’t request a fine sake to be warmed 2) Don’t take it like a Washington Apple on spring break and 3) Do pour for your friends, you’ll avoid looking like a typical Midwestern-who-only-orders-California-rolls diner when you sit down to a nice sushi dinner.
A lot of people, especially bachelors, in Columbus seem to think that the proper way to drink sake is to shoot it. Because it comes in a shot glass, right? This observation stems from my personal experience in various first-date scenarios at sushi restaurants throughout Columbus. Who knows how many of you I haven’t dated yet think the proper way to drink sake is to dump it piping hot down your throats like a flaming Dr. Pepper.
For some added authenticity, when you’re not imbibing solo, don’t let your friends pour their own sake. It’s the custom in Japan to pour for one another. And if someone tries to pour for you, politely lift your glass to meet the flask that they are (hopefully) holding with two hands.
You should know, in Japan, high grade sake is served cold. Warm sake is preferred in the winter, but heating a fine sake can harm its integrity. You’ll often see less expensive, lower quality sake served warm because the heat masks the impurities and less-than-stellar flavors they may behold. But there’s also a chance that your sake may be heated at a temperature that is too high, which is not good for that little piece of skin just above your two front teeth on the roof of your mouth. Just sayin’.
Sake 101 (intro to sake types)
How much alcohol is in sake?
Like other rice wines, when sake is brewed, these conversions occur simultaneously. The alcohol content differs between sake, wine, and beer; while most beer contains 3–9% ABV, wine generally contains 9–16% ABV, and undiluted sake contains 18–20% ABV (although this is often lowered to about 15% by diluting with water before bottling).
Is sake a stronger wine than wine?
To clarify, here’s how it stacks up against its peers in average alcohol content:Beer-5%, Champagne-11%, Wine-15%, Sake-15-16%, Shochu-250-30%, Whiskey-40%, Vodka-40%, and Tequila-40%. So, on average, sake does in fact resemble a slightly stronger wine.
What makes sake different from other alcoholic beverages?
Now that we’re clearer on what sake is, let’s see what makes sake different than other alcoholic beverages Much like beer, brewing sake only requires a couple key ingredients: steamed rice, koji, water, and yeast. In cheaper grades of sake, distilled alcohol is sometimes also added.
How strong is sake?
For the most part, sake has a standard degree of alcohol content, but if you look hard enough, you can always find one that matches your particular brand of stiffness. Depending on where you live, sake may still be on its way to reaching mainstream status, and so you might not be crystal clear on how strong these drinks really are.