Buoyed by the rising demand for low-alcohol cocktails, sake has a lot to offer as a drinks ingredient. The Japanese beverage, made from fermented rice, is proving its versatility in a wide range of cocktails and in many different types of restaurants and bars. While sake came of age in the United States at sushi venues, it’s now branched out to all manner of on-premise outlets, and bartenders are embracing its subtle flavor profile and the depth it provides drinks.
Brea Moore, the marketing director for Clique Hospitality, highlights the sweetness and nuanced flavors that sake provides. Clique Hospitality, which operates 17 venues in California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Illinois, offers sake in multiple ways—in cocktails, neat, and as a shot with beer to make a sake bomb. Moore says sake cocktails are popular with guests who don’t know much about sake. Clique’s Proper Bar at the Proper Eats Food Hall in the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas offers the Sake To Me ($19) mixing Nihonsakari Nama Genshu nigori sake with Cîroc vodka, strawberry syrup, and lemon juice.
“Mixing sake into cocktails adds a delicate sweetness, umami, and smooth texture that enhances a drink’s complexity,” Moore says, adding that sake’s mixology power will continue to increase as it finds its way onto more drinks menus nationwide. “Sake pairs well with fruits, and that’s why our Sake To Me is very strawberry-forward. Guests who are familiar with sake love it and newcomers usually choose a specialty cocktail featuring sake or a sake bomb.”
Sake has become a key component of the beverage program at The Bazaar by José Andrés in New York City. The Bazaar has a global menu and sake is available both by itself and mixed into cocktails. “We’re enthusiastic about its versatility,” says Jopus Grevelink, the senior beverage manager for José Andrés Group at The Ritz-Carlton New York Nomad hotel. “Serving sake in multiple ways allows us to introduce its diverse styles to a variety of palates. With the rise of craft sake in the U.S. market, we’re committed to blending an elevated dining experience with refined sake offerings.”
Grevelink points out that sweeter sakes add tropical notes to drinks, providing flavors like plum, yuzu, and candied pineapple, while drier sakes offer acidity and elements of nuttiness and umami that can enhance many classic cocktails, and sparkling sakes add light effervescence and floral, fruity components. Taken together as one category, sake provides depth, balance, and character to mixed drinks.
“Sake brings a wide range of flavors and aromas to cocktails,” Grevelink says. “It can enhance many different flavor profiles. It’s also ideal for crafting complex, lower-abv cocktails, which are increasingly popular among guests looking for unique flavors without the strength of traditional spirits.”
The Bazaar serves two sake cocktails and both have been well received by guests. The Sangria de Sake ($21) is made with Fukucho Seaside sparkling Junmai sake, Roku gin, Oka Kura Sweet Japanese Bermutto vermouth, grapefruit, lemongrass, and Buddha’s hand citron fruit, topped with Raventós i Blanc Cuvée Josè Spanish Cava. And the Around The World In 80 Days ($32) blends Fukucho Seaside sparkling Junmai sake with Del Maguey Ibérico mezcal, Old Duff genever, Lustau Manzanilla Sherry, and coriander blossom.
“New York diners are some of the most knowledgeable, but we still enjoy introducing them to the complex world of sake,” Grevelink says. “Sake pairs well with a variety of spirits and mixers. It has the potential to grow in popularity as more people become familiar with its distinct flavors and versatility. Education and creative marketing will be important for its continued success.”