Sake: Not Vodka, Not Wine, Just a Divine Drink
Sake is called rice vodka, and right away the lying begins. It is not a distillate but a product of fermentation. It is 14–16% ABV, not forty-something. The taste is rich and soft, with notes of fruit and umami, not neutral like spirit. So let’s agree right away: sake is sake. Period.
Where it came from and how it is made
Sake has been made in Japan for about two thousand years. At first the technology was, to put it mildly, intimate: rice was chewed and left to ferment. We have already seen a similar practice among the Sumerians and in Peru, where chicha was made from chewed corn. Apparently fermentation and saliva are a universal combination.
Then the Japanese discovered the mold fungus koji, or, scientifically, Aspergillus oryzae. A microscopic organism that turns the starch of rice into sugar, which yeast then turns into alcohol. Koji is used not only for sake but also for soy sauce, miso and mirin. The fungus is so important to the culture that it was officially recognized as a national treasure of Japan. For centuries producers kept the secrets of its cultivation, much as the kefir recipe used to be guarded.
Hot or cold?
Sake can be drunk both hot and cold, depending on the type and the season. Some premium types show their aromas better at low temperatures. Cheap sake is often warmed to hide its flaws. The rule is simple: if the sake is good, serve it cold. If in doubt, ask a sommelier. Or drink it however you like.
Small cups: not what you think
The sakazuki is a flat, wide cup that looks like a small saucer. It is used at celebrations and ceremonies, including the ritual of three sips, san-san-ku-do. It is made of lacquered wood, porcelain or metal and decorated with traditional patterns.
The ochoko is a small, deep cup with a narrow base, comfortable in the hand. It is an everyday cup, ceramic or glass, more minimalist.
And yes, the small cups are not there to limit portions. They support equality in conversation: nobody is left with an empty cup for long. The sakazuki stands for formality and tradition, the ochoko for casual conversation.
San-san-ku-do: three sips, three cups, nine fortunes
San-san-ku-do (三三九度) is a traditional rite symbolizing unity, harmony and respect. The participants use three cups of different sizes, stacked on top of each other. They drink from the smallest first, taking three sips from each and passing them in turn.
Three is a sacred number in Japan, a symbol of stability and balance. Repeating it three times strengthens the idea of harmony. Nine is a lucky number, meaning completion and prosperity.
The tradition goes back to the samurai era, when san-san-ku-do was used to seal alliances between clans. Sips of sake meant agreement and trust.
Sake and the divine
In Japanese culture sake is a way to connect the world of people with the world of spirits. At festivals it is drunk as a way to meet the spirits of ancestors and to address the gods.
Misogi is a purification rite that connects the participant with the divine. Shinto hairei: sake is poured on the ground or offered to the gods to bless a building. Osogatsu: at New Year sake with medicinal herbs is drunk to bring luck and protection from illness. At funerals sake is offered to the spirits of the dead.
Inari: the god of rice and patron of sake
Inari (稲荷) is the god of rice and fertility, the patron of sake. Inari’s messengers are nine-tailed foxes, kitsune. Inari shrines are decorated with sake barrels as a sign of gratitude.
Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto is one of the most famous shrines in Japan, known for its thousands of red torii gates that create a magical tunnel through the forest. Torii symbolize the passage between the world of people and the world of spirits.
Inari can appear in different forms: a man, a woman, an androgynous figure, an old man, a goddess of fertility or a triune spirit. According to legend, Inari once came in the form of a wandering monk and was warmly received by a peasant who shared his last stores of sake. By morning the fields were full of ripe rice and the vessels were full of fresh sake.
Legends in which sake saves the world
According to one legend, peasants were suffering from a bad harvest. They offered sake to Inari as a gift, and the next morning the rice fields bloomed. In another story sake was used against an evil spirit: Inari advised getting the spirit drunk to put it to sleep, and then driving it out. When an epidemic struck a village, Inari gave a recipe for sake with special herbs, and the epidemic began to fade.
There is a myth of a river consecrated to Inari that once turned into sake to quench the thirst of travelers. And a story of a woman innkeeper who brewed sake for all the villagers, so delicious that everyone felt happy and protected.
In ancient times, at the harvest festival, peasants thanked Inari for generosity. Sake was the center of the ceremony, a symbol of fertility and unity. On that day Inari came in the form of a white fox to accept the gifts in person.
Even the sun goddess Amaterasu, hiding in a cave, was lured back out by a festival in which sake was part of the revelry. And the hero Susanoo got the eight-headed dragon Yamata no Orochi drunk on sake so that it would fall asleep, and freed Princess Kushinada.
Types of sake: from pure to premium
Junmai (純米) is pure rice sake, with no additions. Only rice, water, koji and yeast.
Honjozo (本醸造) has a small addition of distilled alcohol to enhance the aroma.
Daiginjo (大吟醸) is high-quality sake made from carefully polished rice. The more of the rice is milled away, the cleaner the taste and the finer the aroma. The premium segment.
Neighbors in the trade
Korea has an analogue, makgeolli (막걸리). It is also a fermented rice wine, but it keeps part of the rice mass, giving a thick, slightly sweet, creamy texture. It is 6–8% ABV and served in large bowls, which encourages conversation.
China has huangjiu (黃酒), yellow rice wine. It is made from ordinary and glutinous rice, wheat and water. Golden-amber in color, 8–20% ABV, with a taste from sweet and fruity to astringent. It is widely used for marinating: it adds depth of flavor and removes unpleasant smells.
And yes, the name “huangjiu” sounds like someone is about to snicker.
The author’s opinion
Sake is a drink that demands attention. Don’t gulp it down, don’t mix it with cola, don’t drink it from the bottle. Pour it into a small cup and wait until it cools or warms a little. Look at its clarity. Smell it. Take a small sip.
And then, perhaps, you will feel what Japanese peasants felt two thousand years ago, when they first tasted a drink that the gods had turned from ordinary rice into something divine.
Drink responsibly. And remember: sake is not vodka. Not wine. It is sake.