You want to share your passion for sake with your loved ones, and you think the holidays are the perfect time to do so. However, you don't yet have all the keys to knowing when, how and, above all, what to serve this wonderful drink with... Don't worry, we're here to guide you ! Over the course of time and tastings, we've accumulated a host of possibilities that work wonders.

From classics to more daring pairings, we want you to enjoy the experience. So here are a few suggestions that will bring a lot of originality to your meals.

A sake aperitif !
Fresh, delicate and fruity, sake is a real treat to whet the appetite. It's thirst-quenching, and you can simply accompany it with Japanese crakers, edamame soybeans, or savory bites such as thinly sliced bottarga and radish, marinated anchovies, smoked salmon and cream. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on some, Japanese dried fish is an incredible aperitif !

We'd like you to experience them for yourself with these two beautiful Daïginjo: Kameizumi and Shichiken, from Kameizumi Shuzo and Yamanashi Meijo respectively. Fresh, lively and crisp, they'll surprise your guests at the start of your meal.

 Kameizumi Junmaï Daïginjo

 

Shichiken Daïginjo

Starters
Foie gras and oysters, two great classics! Would it surprise you to learn that both go very well with sake ?

The perfect match :

Foie gras and sake Kawasemi

Oysters and Sake Eiichi Daïginjo

And if you're brave enough, make a sake jelly to serve with it. Here's our recipe :

Ingredients
120g Kawasemi Sake
100g 30% syrup
4g leaf gelatin
Lime zest


To make
Heat the syrup, then add the gelatine.
Cool the syrup and add the sake and lime zest.
Chill, then scrape with a fork to serve.


With meat
Perhaps surprisingly, sake is a very good accompaniment to meat dishes, provided you find the right one. Choose a sake with character, such as a Yamahai, to accompany meats in sauce. On the other hand, with white meats, it's easier to go for a mineral, lively and taut sake, a junmai or a ginjo that's not too fruity.

Meat prepared in sauce, game

Eiichi Yamahai Junmai

Tedorigawa Yamahaï

White meats, grilled meats

Raifuku Chokarakuchi

 Sayori Nakadori Junmai

 

On fish
Fish and sake are obviously a good match ! Depending on how you prepare your dish, choose a delicate sake like a Daïginjo for raw or simply cooked fish. For a more complex dish, perhaps with a sauce, go for an expressive, fruity sake. You can also rely on your personal taste : fruity, powerful or, on the contrary, refined.

Simply prepared fish

Koshinohana Daïginjo

Myojin 40

Preparations sought

 

Sakeni Kokoroari

Shichiken Junmai Ginjo

With cheese
Sake and cheese go divinely well together, simply because some sakes bear the hallmarks of the ferments used in their production, Koji and yeast, which echo the fermentative notes of the cheese. For a successful pairing, choose a dense, rich sake with strong-tasting cheeses: an aged sake such as Hanahato Kijoshu to go with Livarot, for example; a fruitier sake to go with Parmesan or aged mimolette.

Spicy cheeses

Hanahato Kijoshu 8 ans

Koshinohana Shuen

Delicate cheeses

 

Koï Koï Junmaï Ginjo

Raifuku Aiyama Junmaï Ginjo

On desserts
There's fruit in sake, and sometimes it's very pronounced ! There are often notes of banana, green apple, peach, dried fruit, citrus, exotic fruit and flowers. The list goes on. What's more, because it's made from rice, sake has a very creamy base. So it's the perfect accompaniment to your desserts. There are so many examples that it would be impossible to list them all.

Light, fruity desserts

 
Tsukino Katsura

Kiyomori Heian Nigori

Creamy chocolate desserts

Raïfuku Sweet

Kawasemi Junmaï Genshu

Here are a few examples that we hope will whet your appetite ! If you'd like more detailed advice or precise pairings, please don't hesitate to contact us. We'd be delighted to help you make your choice.