“NIHONSHU”: SAKE

In the summer you feel like relaxing, having fun, eating, travelling, living new experiences, and at the Asia Gardens & Thai Spa you can do all that in our luxury resort; unwind drinking an exotic cocktail. A few weeks ago we told you about the most traditional and popular drink in Asia: tea, today, we are going to tell you about another one with a high degree of alcohol content: sake.

In Japan, any alcoholic drink is called “SAKE”, however, in the west, sake is a very strong alcoholic drink made from fermented rice and known as “the Japanese rice wine” or “nihonshi”.

It is generally taken before meals or with sushi, although the drink par excellence taken with sushi is green tea.

The alcohol content in Sake ranges between 14° and 16° and although its story is not documented, it is known to have come from Asia. Sake has played an important role in the life and culture of the Asian continent, mainly in China and Japan. Currently, there are more than 10,000 brands of sake available.

It is made from fermented rice and semi hard water. After a long fermenting process, three or four times more than wine, a wide range of amino acids is produced which is what gives sake a fresh and balanced flavour.

There are different types of sake:

– Honjozo-shu: it contains a low degree of distilled alcohol which makes the bran in it more noticeable.

– Junmai-shu: it translates as “pure rice wine”. In order for it to be considered Junmai sake, the Japanese government dictated that at least 30% of the polished rice had to be extracted and that it should not contain alcohol.

– Ginjo-shu: this type of sake is made from extracting 30% – 50% polished rice

– Daiginjo_shu: contains polished rice up to 50% and 70%.

How to drink sake:

Sake can be drunk cold, warm or at room temperature, depending on the time of the year and food it goes with. When taken warm, it should not be over 60ºC. It is not advisable to boil it. It is said that warm sake is absorbed faster by the organism which made it very popular during the Second World War.

It is worth noting that sake is also used as part of purifying rituals in some Asian ceremonies.

If you wish to try this drink and eat some exotic Asian dishes, come to the Asia Gardens & Thai Spa, and live a full Asian experience in the best luxury resort of the Mediterranean. You will be amazed!