This is a guest post by Lydia Johnson. Lydia likes wheat beers and malbecs and whiskey, primarily. I’ll try anything. Except hops. I hate hops. Blech.
Creative Commons Photo Credit: tokyonatural
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.
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’.
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.
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.
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.
You’re welcome.
35 Comments on "Don’t Drink Sake like a Douche"
Lydia, I love this…I enjoy sake, but I agree, too many people serve it too warm.
I likey the sake
I thought you drink it warm like it’s a sacred religion.
I kind of like it warm, but like you said, mostly in winter. The best sakes I’ve had were served cold, and I would never shoot any sake, warm or cold. You’d miss the whole experience that way! This post conjures images of affliction-shirted dudes slamming sake.
Honestly, I much prefer warm sake any time of the year
Thank you loved this.
Thanks for the tip. Nobody ever told me about this but ever since I first tried sake, I’ve been sipping it instead of shooting it and I enjoy the taste very much.
I just moved to Japan, and luckily haven’t had sake in public yet. Thanks for saving me from making these mistakes! A japanese friend of mine actually just gave me some sake he got from Tokyo, so I’ll keep this in mind when I feel like drinking it.
Yesterday I tried a Sake Shooter where they take the bottle and dump down your throat. They have a countdown. I ended up messing up my shot. I spit it out. It tasted weird and I did not like it. This was my first time eating at a Japanese Sushi restaurant. I was so embarrassed.
Yesterday I tried a Sake Shooter where they take the bottle and dump down your throat. They have a countdown. I ended up messing up my shot. I spit it out. It tasted weird and I did not like it. This was my first time eating at a Japanese Sushi restaurant. I was so embarrassed. Is there a to shoot the Sake without having to spit it out. Help!!
Dear Ms. Mendoza,
Looking for a way to drink sake and not spit it out? Might help to buy a bottle and take it home. My local grocery store sells Gekkeikan brand. Probably not the finest of the fine, but not terrible. Then try it out in private to get comfortable with it’s taste and scent. Sip it slowly. I didn’t like it -at all- at first. Years later tried it again and liked it. I love it warm in winter! Remember, it’s okay if you don’t care for it now or ever!
“is not wine or beer or liquor”
Sake is literally rice wine made in a manner similar to beer so yeah no
Also who are you,or anyone else,to tell others how to drink?It’s one thing to explain how it’s traditionally drank and why it’s drank in certain ways based on when it’s consumed and the quality,but calling someone a douche because they prefer to take it as a shot?That’s a much more douchey thing to do.How a person enjoys anything should be up to them.Unless a person is hogging something or being rude,let them enjoy what they like HOW they like it.
Thank you. I agree with your comment. I sip sake and drink it slowly, but don’t go around calling people a douche for drinking something the way they enjoy. Do explain the tradition, but don’t resort to name calling.
Sweet!
Lighten up! She is providing a service so that some people won’t make asses of themselves.
Her mistake was acting like a prude when she tried imparting knowledge.
Wine is a fermented beverage made from any fruit, while beer is a fermented beverage made from any grain….but that’s the wearer classification.
The author of this post was far more correct than you, even using the western definition.
There *could not be* such a thing as a rice wine.
That’s oxymoronic.
You have a very very American attitude. I’ll bet you don’t like being corrected or told what to do by anyone at any time.
Thank you. This helpped so much.
I much prefer my Sake heated, but then I may not have had any high quality sake. I do sip it as I do liken it to a wine. As you said there are traditions and rituals and rules to drinking both sake and tea the ritual is as important as the drink itself.
Or how bout people drink what they want how they want and you stop being the douche? If you want to inform people on the traditional way sake is served and consumed, that’s perfectly fine. Telling people how they SHOULD drink it just makes you a pompous, idiotic ass.
Seems like people are being a little too sensitive and butt hurt to being called a douche. They must get called it often.
Absolutely. There’s no wrong way to drink sake. She came off way too pretentious and rude telling the world how to drink a certain alcohol. If she wasn’t so rude, nobody would be snapping back like this haha.
You’re a douche if you let someone tell you “how” to drink sake. Sake is sake no matter how it enters you.
Absolutely.
While in Japan, I found that that serving temperature didn’t make much difference to the taste of Sake. But i do prefer it cold
As mamaline said the ritual and traditions are just as important as the drink itself. Peraonaly ive always had sake at room temp because i wamt to zee its true nature but yea ive taken it aa a shot in the privacy of my own home or with my freinds but never would i do so in public its more a way of respecting its history. And the people who got offended all i can say to you guys i dont like simply and respectfuly.
No, not hardly. That’s like saying we have to down mead in horn mugs the way Vikings did because it was their thing.
Sake doesn’t belong to any traditions. Yes it’s used traditionally, but you’re allowed to drink it however you like.
I shoot hot sake every time your the stupid douche writing an article telling people what to do. How do you know Japanese aren’t making fun of you by telling you to sip it like a pussy .. you shut the hell up and people will do whatever the hell they want
How much is a shot of sake normally? I’ve wanted to try some.
Wow… Such negative and abusive comments to a fine article. If you all really feel you should be drinking Sake like a frat boy on a binge, by all means, do so, as it certainly shows the lower class of people you are. However, most people, mature adults of course, enjoy their alcohol for the quality it is and the flavor(s) involved, not how fast they can get drunk by shooting it.
Perhaps once you all mature past the teenage stage, you’ll learn to enjoy alcohol for than the alcoholism.
better than being a passive aggressive asshole about it. at least they weren’t insulting a whole nation like this articles writer. “so western” get off your high horse. the passive aggressive insults are much more abusive
Rice Wine!
Or, just maybe.. we can drink it the way we want to. I don’t get the hostility against the way people drink. That’s such an asinine thing to get upset about.
I mean, really: “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.”
That genuinely made no sense, that I died laughing. For one, the phrase “dump it piping hot down your throat” was just such a colorful way of putting it, and I’ve never in my life heard of a “flaming hot Dr Pepper.” Flaming hot cheetos, yes. Dr Pepper, yes. Together? Never 😂
Either way, this was such a useless aggressive blog.
So stupid article, because sake can be enjoyed warm or cold, with no derogatory characteristic with drinking it warm. Of course you can shoot your sake, that’s the best way to drink it.
It tastes better dropped in a beer then downing it