Friday, June 29, 2007
Food, Wine, Beer & Spirits

Sake to me

Taking the “tini” out of sake cocktails

Food_WS_Sake_070107 CREDIT: istockphoto.com

Pear Flower 1½ oz. Moonstone Asian Pear sake or other flavored sake 1–1½ oz. vodka or rum Double squeeze of lemon or lime juice ½ oz. jasmine syrup Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with sliced strawberry/kiwi and citrus twist (adapted from Lucy Brennan, SakéOne sakétini collection). Dick Molnar-san 1 oz. Moonstone Coconut Lemongrass sake or other nigori sake 1½ oz. rum Double squeeze of fresh pink grapefruit Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

By Jason Tesauro and Phineas Mollod

Filed under “Trendy: Uninspired Martini Outtakes,” the saketini began to inhabit happy hour boards and drink lists a number of years ago to minor disappointment and the derision of booze classicists. Instead of a flavor explosion of ethnic brilliance, most patrons imbibed a bland and ricey drink composed of ho-hum chilled vodka, a splash of cheap sake and a supposedly groundbreaking cucumber-slice garnish (which at least you could munch on later). On top of that, the moniker, “saketini,” is such a sing-songy name that it begged inclusion on the children’s menu, perhaps next to the “Chicken Fingerinos” special. Moreover, martini purists, still smarting after losing the “A Vodka Martini Isn’t a Real Martini” battle of 1993, chimed in, railing against the continued insurrection critical of the gin and vermouth perfection of the martini.

Before we plant our own flagstick (or cocktail spear) into the terra liquidus of sake drinks, we must advocate the use of the simpler term “sake cocktails” to define a cocktail shaken with liquor, sake and other flavors, and served straight up, thus avoiding the wrath of the martini police and giving the drink its delicious, linguistic due. Simply put, sake cocktails offer the home mixer a world of novel flavors and amazing aromas. For example, SakéOne’s Moonstone Coconut Lemongrass infusion might be too wild for a sake traditionalist, but its tropical suntan lotion nose weds perfectly with rum and citrus and makes amazing cocktails you want to either drink or rub into bronzed skin.

The best forum for cocktail experimentation is a sake dinner party, which is a guaranteed hit since most guests either haven’t sampled quality sakes or sipped so many styles in one sitting. Hosts can sear tuna and boil dumplings as guests tote maki, wakame seaweed salad and Japanese dishes, with everyone enthusiastic about the novelty of a crisp junmai, bolder daijingo, sweeter nigori or a beguiling flavored sake. Also, these get-togethers are perfect for the summer because sake cocktails are often lighter than heavy mixed drinks, especially with a quick hit of club soda. Before getting creative with the shaker, the hostess need only hunt and gather: chilled sake, mixing liquors (gin, vodka, rum), simple syrups (flavored syrups can be made by simply adding extra sugar to flavored teas, like jasmine), citrus, fresh-cut or canned pineapple and garnishes (be artistic—strawberry, kiwi, lychee, flowers).

As with any booze-tasting, order the spirits from light and dry to full and sweet. Begin with a clean cocktail that revives guests’ palates after a workday of coffee, lunch meat and salty snacks, and then launch into sake mode. Asian cuisine is an easy pairing, but shame on the host who ventures not beyond California rolls. Next, lay out the chopsticks, a pile of verdant edamame and small bowls for dipping. Then let the feeding begin—ensuring that guests have vittles in their tummy renders sake’s potency (some approach 18 percent ABV) more manageable. A bonus for the sake soirée, though, is that unlike a tequila-tasting, you can rock this Japanese beverage all night long and still make that morning meeting. It’s true what they say … you’ll know good sake the next day.

Cocktails can be as simple as substituting flavored sake for vermouth in a martini recipe, nigori sake for vodka in a cosmo recipe or something more creative, like lychee sake. After mastering a few basic recipes, we encourage you to tinker, as sake, particularly nigori and flavored sakes, pair well with multiple liquors and flavors—so break out the ginger, green tea or wild berries. Kampai!