Cheese

How about a saké to go with gorgonzola? Try Housui Yamahai Tokubetsu Junmai from  Tokushima Prefecture. Its full rich flavor starts with a taste of the sour mash and ends with a hint of sweetness, making it perfect to pair with cheeses. Or Kura Daiginjo from Nagano Prefecture, which has a smokiness to it that complements cheese and peppered deli meats.

Northwest Cuisine

More restaurants in the Pacific Northwest are pairing saké with local cuisine. At Canliss, which looks out toward the Cascades from its perch on Queen Anne hill in Seattle, the wine list is as big as a phonebook, but it includes several premium sakés. “The Canliss family believes its list should include every sort of ‘wine,’” says an employee. Another local delicacy that goes well with saké is oysters. The popular Japanese manga Oishinbo wrote that the sake Horin paired better with oysters than a nice Chablis.

Aperitifs and Digestives

Saketinis have made their way onto many a bar menu because of their complex flavors and lower alcoholic and caloric content than their gin and vermouth counterparts. Mix an ounce of lime, an ounce or two of coconut syrup, a dash of milk or half-and-half , two ounces of saké, shake it up, and you have yourself one of many varieties of saketini. Another good way to enjoy saké is to try the cloudy nigori saké, which tends to be sweet and have a fruity nose and mild flavor. It is great as a digestive or dessert wine and can complement spicy food. Nigori saké is unfiltered, which gives it its cloudiness. Finally, try a sparkling saké like ZIPANG and Hana-awaka, smooth-drinking naturally carbonated sakés that make an exotic substitute for champagne.

Dessert

Saké and dessert? That’s right. The combination can work quite well, say some adventurous pastry chefs and saké enthusiasts. “Surprisingly, cheesecake goes really good with most saké,” says Seattle area Patisserie Chef Sestuko Agata. “Chocolate cake goes as good with sake as most libations too.”
In collaboration with Setsuko and Orcas Distributing, IBUKI will introduce two fantastic saké and dessert pairings at our food pairing event on July 10th at Issian. Come try the novel and delicious pairings with us!

	Mochikko is a good saké to pair with desserts — it is made with 100% mochi rice, something that only five breweries in Japan have attempted because it is such hard work. The saké has a subtle sweetness that matches well with Setsuko’s daifuku, a small round ball of mochi stuffed with sweet bean paste.
	Another saké that can pair with a dessert is Yoinotsuki Daiginjo from Tsukinowa brewery. It is smooth and rich with a hint of sweet melon — just the sort of elegant saké that pairs well with Setsuko’s delicate cheesecake.