Natural form

A clear glass bottle of sake showing the pale straw-colored liquid inside.

Establishes the primary commercial form of sake — a bottled, pale liquid — so readers instantly recognize it at retail or in a kitchen.

Beverages

Sake

Smooth Japanese rice wine for sipping and cooking

Clean and subtly sweet, sake sips warm or chilled and lends mellow depth to marinades, glazes, and simmered dishes. Keep it cool, and refrigerate once opened.

Sake is a Japanese brewed beverage made from polished rice, water, koji mold, and yeast — closer in process to beer than wine, though it drinks like a delicate wine at roughly 15% alcohol. Its flavor ranges from clean and floral to rich, rice-sweet, and umami-laden, with notes of melon, banana, steamed rice, and a savory backbone. In Japanese cooking sake is fundamental: it tenderizes, removes fishy and gamey odors, adds umami and a subtle sweetness, and balances salty seasonings. It's one of the core seasoning liquids alongside mirin, soy, and dashi.

Measured in: ml
Storage: Room Temperature

Find it in

BeveragesInternational

Types & varieties

Junmai

Pure rice, full-bodied — great cooking sake

Ginjo/Daiginjo

Highly polished, fragrant — for drinking

Ryorishu

Salted cooking sake — convenient, adjust salt

How to use in cooking

Cooking sake adds umami and gentle sweetness while neutralizing strong odors in fish and meat. It's essential to teriyaki, nimono (simmered dishes), and many marinades, often paired with mirin and soy. Add it early so the alcohol cooks off and the savory depth remains. A splash also deglazes a pan into a clean, umami-rich sauce.

How to choose

Drinking sake (junmai, ginjo) cooks beautifully and tastes better than salted 'cooking sake' (ryorishu), which has added salt and additives — fine in a pinch but adjust your seasoning. For most cooking, an inexpensive junmai is the sweet spot. Refrigerate after opening; sake oxidizes faster than spirits.

Common uses

Build teriyaki and glaze saucesMake nimono simmered dishesMarinate fish and chickenSteam clams and musselsDeglaze for an umami pan sauceTenderize and de-odorize meatAdd depth to dashi-based broths

Tips & pitfalls

Use real drinking sake over salted 'cooking sake' when you can.
Add early to cook off alcohol and mellow odors.
Pair with mirin and soy for the classic Japanese balance.
Refrigerate after opening — it's brewed, not distilled.

Nutrition

No USDA FoodData Central match for Sake yet. We surface a per-100 g profile once a generic whole-food entry is matched and verified.

In the shops

Matched grocery products

No matched grocery products for Sake yet.

Good to know

Flavor: Rice-sweet, floral, umami, clean
Use in cooking: Simmered dishes, marinades, glazes, broths, deglazing
Alcohol?: Yes — ~14–16% ABV
Substitute base: Dry white wine, dry sherry, or rice vinegar + sugar + water
How to store: Cool and dark; refrigerate after opening

Substitutes