Best Way to Warm Sake
This was a question that someone asked in our old Forum. You can also view a good blog article that we wrote on the subject:
What is the best way to warm sake?
Beau ==> "Ahhhhhh - good question on two counts - the first is a better way to warm sake - the second is that you are speaking about warmed sake! There is such a rush to chilled sake that most are forgetting the true pleasure temp of sake!
There are tons of ways and many therories on how best to heat sake - some say a quick heat keeps the alcohol in whilst others say a slower heat keeps from distressing the flavor.... is there a happy medium - of course.
A brewer friend of mine said once that in his brewery they use an old tea kettle! Literally - they just pour a bottle into an old kettle and heat it that way! "Quick and to the point"! Whereas another brewer admitted to setting entire bottles of sake into boiling water! You catching my drift here? They are the makers - the purists and they do it their way! No right or wrong........ I have also been in small sake pubs that specialize in heating sake and i have tasted the same sake out of two metal pitcher/pourers (one was tin and the other pewter) to show that different metals heat at different speeds and cause different flavors..... I was impressed to say the least!
More to your point.............. get a pan - fill it half full with water - bring to a boil - turn the heat off and then place the tokkuri or little chimney shaped heating ceramic pitcher in the bath for 3-5 minutes. Check the concayved bottom for temp of sake in inside.
....... or pour into a coffee cup and put in your microwave....... (image soaks.... and booze heats too quickly ..... but the result is hot sake!)"
There are tons of ways and many therories on how best to heat sake - some say a quick heat keeps the alcohol in whilst others say a slower heat keeps from distressing the flavor.... is there a happy medium - of course.
A brewer friend of mine said once that in his brewery they use an old tea kettle! Literally - they just pour a bottle into an old kettle and heat it that way! "Quick and to the point"! Whereas another brewer admitted to setting entire bottles of sake into boiling water! You catching my drift here? They are the makers - the purists and they do it their way! No right or wrong........ I have also been in small sake pubs that specialize in heating sake and i have tasted the same sake out of two metal pitcher/pourers (one was tin and the other pewter) to show that different metals heat at different speeds and cause different flavors..... I was impressed to say the least!
More to your point.............. get a pan - fill it half full with water - bring to a boil - turn the heat off and then place the tokkuri or little chimney shaped heating ceramic pitcher in the bath for 3-5 minutes. Check the concayved bottom for temp of sake in inside.
....... or pour into a coffee cup and put in your microwave....... (image soaks.... and booze heats too quickly ..... but the result is hot sake!)"