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8 Producers You Should Know to Get Into Sake
Asian-American bars are experiencing a wave of popularity in the U.S. — as are the beverages they serve. For the first half of 2025, the U.S. was the largest global importer of sake from Japan by volume, according to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association. By value, the U.S. ranks second, just behind China. Beyond the data, sake is increasingly represented on menus at restaurants of various cuisines. The article 8 Producers You Should Know to Get Into Sake appeared first on VinePair .
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10 Iconic Beer-and-Shot Combos From Around the World
Whether it’s a bartender’s post-shift, wind-down drink, or a dive-bar-dwellers go-to to kick-start an evening, there’s a humble, “no BS” vibe to a beer and a shot that’s earned the pairing a level of respect from drinkers of all classes and creeds. While ordering two drinks at once can be a one-way ticket to over-intoxication, many beer-and- shot combos are timeless staples unique to different countries around the world that usually add up to more than the sum of their parts. The article 10 Iconic Beer-and-Shot Combos From Around the World appeared first on VinePair .
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Here’s Why Sake ONO Makes an Ideal Gift for Those With Discerning Taste
Many of us know that person who is hard to shop for, not because they’re hard to please, but because they seem to have such great taste that it’s a daunting task, especially if they like good things to drink. People have probably already thought of giving them the usual go-tos — some bubbly, whisky, additive-free tequila, or maybe a new, funky wine. But have you considered sake? The article Here’s Why Sake ONO Makes an Ideal Gift for Those With Discerning Taste appeared first on VinePair .
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The VinePair Podcast: Making Sake Work in America
There’s probably no drink in the beverage alcohol space that’s simultaneously more familiar to American drinkers, yet less marketed and branded as sake. Everyone’s tried it. Everybody has some idea of what it is, but if someone said, “name a sake — any sake,” most would admittedly be a little tongue-tied. It’s a category in which stateside brand building has been somewhat absent over the years. But now, through unique packaging, pitching the drink as a cocktail ingredient, or a slept-on pairing with myriad cuisines, there are a few brands making moves to change that phenomenon. The article The VinePair Podcast: Making Sake Work in America appeared first on VinePair .
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NYC’s New Wave of Seafood Restaurants Is Shaking Up Beverage Pairings
This year, a new wave of hype-dining washed ashore in New York City. Seafood, in all of its stunning, salty forms, took center stage at the city’s buzziest restaurants. Sure, smash burgers are having a moment and hot dogs keep showing up on menus (sometimes in unexpected forms), but ultimately it’s the seafood-centric spots that have come to dominate the dining scene in 2024. This trend stretches beyond the influx of luxury bromakase options, wine bars slinging tinned fish, and dishes that boast often unnecessary spoonfuls of caviar. The article NYC’s New Wave of Seafood Restaurants Is Shaking Up Beverage Pairings appeared first on VinePair .
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What We Miss When We Write Off Warm Sake
For Americans, the phrase “hot sake” may conjure all sorts of — often visceral — reactions. In the case of my social media community, these included: “inexpensive, lower quality,” “cheap,” and “acrid,” plus several, more specific associations: downing sake bombs (in at least one instance “with a fake ID”), the catchall of “college,” the first time they tried sushi, and in one cryptic case, the year 1988. The article What We Miss When We Write Off Warm Sake appeared first on VinePair .
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Could Domestic Initiatives Help Sake Soar Stateside?
Although it’s one of the country’s most traditional beverages, sake’s popularity is waning in Japan. Between 1989 and 2018, sales declined 53 percent, and younger drinkers now have a bevy of options to choose from, whether it’s beer, whisky, cocktails, or even wine. Sake, seen as an old person’s drink, doesn’t have the same cachet. The article Could Domestic Initiatives Help Sake Soar Stateside? appeared first on VinePair .
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Meet the Japanese Master Brewer Making World-Class Sake Along Route 66
Holbrook, an Arizona town just 5,000 residents call home, firmly clings to its fading past: Classic roadside diners, gas stations advertising Route 66 memorabilia, and abandoned 1940s motor courts line the streets, all eliciting nostalgia for the golden age of American road trips. Streets with names like Bucket of Blood are reminders of the Old West, when shoot-outs between outlaws and cowboys were a more common occurrence. The article Meet the Japanese Master Brewer Making World-Class Sake Along Route 66 appeared first on VinePair .
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We Asked 21 Drinks Pros: What Are You Drinking on New Year’s Eve?
New Year’s Eve means Champagne, right? It’s a classic pairing — and for good reason. There’s something incredibly celebratory about popping a cork and sipping bubbles on the biggest party night of the year. But the truth is, there are many other options to consider. Cocktails are a good alternative — maybe something low-ABV if you’re planning an all-night celebration that will have you up until the wee hours. Or, if you’re opting for tried-and-true Champagne, what style will you choose? The article We Asked 21 Drinks Pros: What Are You Drinking on New Year’s Eve? appeared first on VinePair .
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In Japan, Turning 100 Is Celebrated With a Commemorative Silver Sake Cup, Courtesy of the Government
While in the U.S., anti-aging creams, treatments, and procedures continue to proliferate, Japan honors the process of getting older. According to the World Health Organization, the nation has one of the longest life expectancies in the world — coming just behind Hong Kong with an average of 84.67 years, and many people living well beyond that. The article In Japan, Turning 100 Is Celebrated With a Commemorative Silver Sake Cup, Courtesy of the Government appeared first on VinePair .
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5 Modern Alcohol Brands That Pay Tribute to Marginalized People in Spirits History
The history of the spirits industry is notoriously one-sided. Key facts and figures are often overlooked. And the impact of marginalized people is either dramatically downplayed or erased completely. (For example, you’re probably familiar with the infamous Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone, but what about Stephanie St. The article 5 Modern Alcohol Brands That Pay Tribute to Marginalized People in Spirits History appeared first on VinePair .
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We Asked 7 Bottle Shop Owners: What’s Your Favorite Sake Right Now?
Sake’s rise to mainstream popularity can be attributed to many things, such as the surge of sake bars popping up around the country and the recent, yet growing, interest in sake-infused cocktails. There’s one place, in particular, that shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to discovering new, exciting sakes, and that’s your local wine shop. The article We Asked 7 Bottle Shop Owners: What’s Your Favorite Sake Right Now? appeared first on VinePair .
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Ask a Sake Pro: Can I Use Sake in Cocktails?
Sake has long been best known as a drink to sip neat at Japanese restaurants. But as the world of Japanese bartending becomes more popular, the interest in enjoying it in cocktails is growing. While the days of sake bombs and warm ceramic vases aren’t completely lost, sake has recently taken a starring role in today’s cocktail scene. The article Ask a Sake Pro: Can I Use Sake in Cocktails? appeared first on VinePair .
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Ask a Sake Pro: What Sake Should Be Served Hot?
Sake tends to be a hot and cold subject — either people could never imagine drinking a steaming cup of warmed sake, or they wouldn’t dare to pull a bottle straight from the fridge. Some even think that if a sake needs to be heated, then it is automatically low-quality. But according to Austin Power, owner of Accidental Bar in Manhattan’s East Village, that can’t be further from the truth. The article Ask a Sake Pro: What Sake Should Be Served Hot? appeared first on VinePair .
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VinePair Podcast: Has Sake’s Moment Finally Arrived?
On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” hosts Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zach Geballe discuss whether sake will ever enjoy a moment in the spotlight. The traditional Japanese spirit has long been anticipating a surge in popularity, but could lack of education among consumers become a challenge? Will the arrival of sake-based canned beverages and bottles designed for clubs push forward the category as a whole? Tune in to learn more. The article VinePair Podcast: Has Sake’s Moment Finally Arrived? appeared first on VinePair .
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Yuzu Sake Is the Jack-of-All-Trades for Summer Drinking
In recent years, sake has rapidly gained mainstream traction at bars, restaurants, and grocery stores stateside. The traditional Japanese rice wine comes in variations that boast a wide assortment of textures and flavor profiles, but the one you should absolutely be reaching for as the weather heats up is yuzu sake. The article Yuzu Sake Is the Jack-of-All-Trades for Summer Drinking appeared first on VinePair .
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Ask Adam: Why Are Sake Cups So Small?
The No. 1 rule when consuming sake with others is that you are never supposed to pour your own glass. It’s a serving tradition in Japan known as shaku suru or kumu, and it’s a way to show your guests you honor and respect them. The article Ask Adam: Why Are Sake Cups So Small? appeared first on VinePair .
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Italian Sake Is Made With Risotto for a Distinct Taste
When Misal Memeo and Nicola Coppe decided to create a line of Italian sake, they knew they’d have some obstacles to overcome. First, no one had ever made a truly Italian sake before. Second, how could they make a product that would both appeal to the Italian palate and stand out in a market saturated with wine and craft beer? And third, neither of them really knew how to make sake. The article Italian Sake Is Made With Risotto for a Distinct Taste appeared first on VinePair .
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VinePair Happy Hour: What Original Cocktail Have You Crafted Recently?
So far in 2021, our social lives have looked a lot like they did in 2020, and that means many of us are channeling our pent-up creative energies into hobbies like home bartending. Though the VinePair team loves making our tried-and-true favorites such as Negronis and Margaritas, we’ve recently been taking breaks after our end of day Zoom meeting to craft our own unique cocktail recipes (some more successful than others). The article VinePair Happy Hour: What Original Cocktail Have You Crafted Recently? appeared first on VinePair .
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Namazake — Fresh-Pressed, Unpasteurized Sake — Is Spring’s Most Exciting Release
Recently, in one of the outdoor cabins that comprise the Covid-era “winter village” outside the Japanese restaurant Rule of Thirds in Brooklyn, co-owner George Padilla opened a bottle and poured it into an ochoko, the little ceramic sake cup I had chosen for myself. Then, he poured for himself. We were partaking in a ritual that is seasonal in Japan, the drinking of unpasteurized sake, called namazake. The article Namazake — Fresh-Pressed, Unpasteurized Sake — Is Spring’s Most Exciting Release appeared first on VinePair .
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Ask Adam: Is It True Only Cheap Sake Should Be Served Hot?
If you Google this question, the resounding answer you’ll find on the interwebs is that the only sake that should ever be heated is the cheap stuff, but that’s a misunderstood oversimplification of sake, borne from too many sake bombs consumed at chain hibachi restaurants. The article Ask Adam: Is It True Only Cheap Sake Should Be Served Hot? appeared first on VinePair .
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International Sake Producers Face Challenges — and Opportunities
Of all the great things that are available to drink nowadays, few are limited by geography. Craft IPAs and breakfast stouts currently appear in just about every corner of the globe, while surprisingly successful new wine regions keep sprouting up in places like India, China, and England. The article International Sake Producers Face Challenges — and Opportunities appeared first on VinePair .
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Sparkling Sake Is Making Its Case as a Specialty, Food-Friendly Option
Sparkling sake, once viewed as a sweet, low-alcohol, low-quality brew, is experiencing a small yet significant renaissance. Thanks to recent efforts by organizations like the Japan Awasake Association, which is introducing and encouraging methods and certifications similar to that of Champagne, as well as international retailers championing the sparkling trend, Japanese sake brewers are working to create a more premium version of the bubbly brew. The article Sparkling Sake Is Making Its Case as a Specialty, Food-Friendly Option appeared first on VinePair .
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The Microbrewery Pioneering Mexican Sake and Rice Lager in Tequila Country
In Mexico, the land of tequila and mezcal, a sake revolution is slowly brewing. NAMI, a spirits company whose name is Japanese for “wave,” is the first Mexican premium sake brand bringing a distinctly Mexican contribution to the category. The article The Microbrewery Pioneering Mexican Sake and Rice Lager in Tequila Country appeared first on VinePair .