Written by Kumiko Toya
2020 is finally coming to an end! If you are eager to see it off and welcome the brand new 2021, countdown to New Year’s with a fancy drink in your hand!
Sake is not just for sipping neat. There are so many more ways to enjoy the Japanese staple wine made from fermented rice. More and more, sake is finding its way into cocktails. It is the perfect base as it tastes clean and smooth and can be mixed with a variety of flavors.
Check out our Sake cocktail recipes below! The 11 drinks are just as delicious when you make them at home.
💡When making the drinks for yourself, it is imperative that you use good ingredients—after all, there is no place to hide in such straightforward recipes.
The price of sake ranges from as cheap as $10 to couples of hundreds. Basically, expensive sakes tend to taste great, but that is not necessarily the case. I usually pay $25 - $30 a bottle and am quite satisfied! In the photos and recipes I used "Hatsumago", my go to sake that costs around $28.
Sake Cocktail Recipes
SAKETINI
The iconic, elegant two-ingredient drink of sake version. It is smooth and a lot of people prefer it over classic Martini .
Ingredients:
1 part Sake
1 part Dry gin
Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with olives.
SAMURAI ROCK
Samurai Rock is a very popular Japanese sake cocktail that is very easy to make at home.
Ingredients:
5 parts Sake
1 part Lime juice
Lime wedges to garnish
Add all ingredients in a glass and fill with ice. Mix well. Garnish with a lime wedge.
SAKEJITO
You will love this mojito made from sake, or Sakejito!
Ingredients:
7 parts Sake
1 part Simple syrup (see far below) or Fine sugar
10 Mint leaves per glass
3 -5 Lime slices per glass
1 splash of Soda
Place the mint leaves and lime slices in a glass. Add simple syrup or sugar, lime wedges, sake and cubed ice and mix well. Splash some soda on the top.
SAKE SVEDKA
Even when you are not a big fun of vodka cocktails, try this Sake Svedka. You will love its smooth flavor!
Ingredients:
3 parts Sake
2 parts Vodka
1 part Lemon juice
Lemon slices to garnish
Add all ingredients into a glass and fill with ice. Mix well. Garnish with a lemon slice.
JAPAN SLING
The Japan Sling is inspired from Singapore Sling which is a popular gin-based cocktail.
Ingredients:
4 parts Sake
1 part Cherry brandy
2 parts Lemon juice
1 part Simple syrup (see far below) or sugar
1 splash of Soda
Cherries, Lemon, and Orange slices to garnish
Add all ingredients except soda into a shaker and shake gently with ice. Strain into a glass and fill with ice cubes. Add some soda. Garnish with a cherry, lemon, and orange slices with a cocktail pin.
WARM EVE
A winter sake drink that will warm your soul!
Ingredients:
4 parts Sake
2 parts Amaretto
6 parts Hot water
1 part Sugar
1 Cinnamon stick per glass
In a heat-resistant glass, mix sake, amaretto, sugar, and hot water. Add a cinnamon stick.
FIRST SUNRISE OF THE YEAR
New Year, New Sun. You will love the way the flavors of tomato and sake meld so seamlessly together.
Ingredients:
5 parts Sake
1 part Tomato liqueur
6 parts Tomato juice
1 part Lemon juice
Lemon slices to garnish
Add all ingredients into a glass and fill with ice. Garnish with lemon slices.
SNOW ON MOUNT FUJI
This is a citrus-forward, lightly sweet, perfectly balanced drink.
Ingredients:
6 parts Sake
3 Parts Orange liqueur (Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
3 parts Lemon juice
1 part Grenadine syrup or simple syrup
Add all ingredients except syrup into a cocktail shaker and shake gently with ice. Strain into a salt rimmed glass. Add the syrup and serve.
SALTY JAPANESE DOG
A nice and fruity drink everybody loves. Fresh grapefruit juice is better but bottled juice would be fine in a pinch.
Ingredients:
1 part Sake
1 part Grapefruit juice
Mix ingredients in a salt rimmed glass and fill with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
SAKE ROYAL
The Sake Royal is a fresh take on the classic Kir Royale, a French cocktail made of cassis liqueur and champagne.
Ingredients:
2 parts Sake
1 part Cassis liqueur
1 part Fresh lime juice
Fill all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and mix gently with ice. Strain into a sugar rimmed glass.
PEACH BLOSSOM
This is a refreshing cocktail with a beautiful hue. Perfect for a fancy occasion!
Ingredients:
3 parts Sake
2 parts Peach liqueur
1 part Fresh lime juice
In a cocktail shaker, mix all ingredients and shake gently with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime slice.
How to make simple syrup: Combine 1 part of white sugar and 1 part of water. Warm on the stove or in the microwave to dissolve sugar. Stir well.
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We wish all of you a very happy and much better 2021!
