Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Shake Up Your Drinking Routine with these Easy Sake Cocktails

Sake, like any alcohol, is great on its own. Made from rice — and typically seen as a rice wine, though it has more in common with beer and brewing than wine — the multiple varieties and flavors can keep you busy for a long time if you were looking to just drink it on its own.

(Never had it before? Didn’t know that there were varieties of sake beyond “the hot stuff I get at the sushi joint on my block”? Check out our list of the best sakes for beginners.)

Recommended Videos

However, it’s also great in cocktails. The aforementioned array of styles help create a wide range of abilities when mixing up drinks. In order to show off some of that range, we asked Haru Zenda, who is a certified Sake Sommelier, of Sushi by Bou under the Sanctuary Hotel in New York City to show us some of his favorite, easy-to-make sake cocktails.

Golden Pavilion

golden pavilion
Image used with permission by copyright holder
  • 3.5 oz namazake
  • 0.25 oz honey syrup*
  • 0.25 oz ginger liqueur

Method: Stir on ice. Strain. Serve straight up and garnish with floral card.

*Honey syrup

  • 1 part honey
  • 1 part water

Method: Cook until all is dissolved together. Set aside to cool.

Matsu Martini

Method: Rub rosemary sprig around the rim of a glass. Stir on ice. Strain. Serve straight up with the rosemary.

Blueberry-Rosemary Sake Sangria

  • 3 oz junmai sake
  • 0.25 oz lemon juice
  • 0.5 oz blueberry-rosemary syrup*
  • Splash of soda
  • Blueberries and rosemary to garnish

Method: Serve on ice in a tumbler glass. Top with a splash of soda, Garnish with fresh blueberries and a rosemary sprig.

*Blueberry-rosemary syrup

  • 100 grams (around 3.5 oz) blueberries
  • 6-7 rosemary sprigs
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 4 cups water

Method: Cook until all is dissolved.  Keep simmering until color and flavor is added to the syrup.  Strain and set aside to cool.

Mitarashi Dango

mitarashi dango
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Method: Put caramel on half the glass. Put pink peppercorn on a part of the caramel.  Shake and pour nigori sake into glass.

*Soy Sauce Caramel

  • 0.5 cup water
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 0.125 (1/8) cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp potato starch
  • 0.5 tbsp rice vinegar

Method: Cook until all is dissolved together. Set aside to cool.

Editor’s Note: This article is part of The Manual’s larger Journey to Japan travel guide. Over the course of a month, our writers had the pleasure of experiencing Japan in all its forms, from high-rise bars in Tokyo to traditional tea ceremonies in Kyoto. We hope this series will not only inform, but inspire you to take your own trip to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Topics
Country singer Dierks Bentley is releasing a new, limited-release bourbon
Launched to coincide with his new album, Dierks Bentley is releasing a new whiskey
Whiskey glass

Dierks Bentley is a country music star. He also launched his own whiskey brand, ROW 94, in September 2024 in collaboration with the historic Green River Distilling Co. in Owensboro, Kentucky. Recently, the brand announced the release of a new, limited-release bourbon.
ROW 94 Broken Branches

Named for his new album, it was made in partnership with Lofted Custom Spirits at the Green River Distilling Co. It begins with a mash bill of 70% Kentucky-grown corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted and row barley. It's matured for at least five years in new, level 4 charred American oak barrels using "Branch Aging" with fire-toasted oak staves seasoned for up to twenty-four months.

Read more
Starting tomorrow: Strato Frappuccino brings cold foam and bold new textures
A reimagined version of the classic Starbucks Frappuccino
Starbucks Strato

Starting tomorrow, Starbucks lovers can try a new, reimagined version of the classic Frappuccino. The Starbucks Strato Frappuccino blended beverage features a new layered twist inspired by the Italian word Strato, which means layer. The new drink debuts tomorrow, July 8th, in three sweet flavors, each combining creamy cold foam with familiar flavors. These new drinks are for those looking for a more refined version of the classic Frappuccino, with a fresh take on familiar flavors. The new flavors include:

Brown Sugar Strato Frappuccino Blended Beverage: A blend of Frappuccino® Roast coffee, milk, and ice, layered with brown sugar-flavored cream cold foam. A blend of cinnamon is an elegant finishing touch.

Read more
Kentucky Owl’s new Batch #13 is the final masterpiece from a bourbon legend
Kentucky Owl

Popular whiskey brand Kentucky Owl recently announced the launch of its newest bourbon, Batch #13. It was blended and crafted by former Master Blender John Rhea. What makes the whiskey more unique is that it was the last bourbon blend created by the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame member before his retirement.
Kentucky Owl Batch #13

Batch #13 consists of a blend of five different bourbons. There’s a mix of younger and wheated whiskeys and more mature and higher rye whiskeys. The blend is roughly between eight and nine years old.

Read more