How to heat sake at home
Interested in learning a simple, easy method for heating up sake at home? Follow the instructions below!
All you need is a pot, a ceramic tokkuri (carafe) or glass measuring cup, a thermometer, and your cup of choice! Any cup with a wide mouth will work great, as it allows the alcohol vapors to escape.
For hot sake, you'll want to pick a sake that is umami-forward, not a fruity ginjo or daiginjo. The fruity, aromatic, delicate flavors dissipate during the heating process while savory, richer sakes heat nicely.
Instructions:
Fill a pot about 3/4 full with water and heat it on the stove. The size of the pot doesn’t matter as long as it can fit your glass measuring cup/carafe. You’ll want to bring it to around 140F and hold it there. You don't need to be exact - anywhere in that ballpark is fine.
Pour however much sake you like into your carafe or glass measuring cup and rest it in the water.
Frequently stir with your thermometer until the sake gets to your desired temperature: I suggest around 105F for clean, light sakes and 130F for rich, umami-heavy ones. Once again, don't worry about the exact temperature - the fun of kanzake is experimenting with different temperatures and figuring out what works well!
That’s it! There’s an infinite number of techniques, methods, and tricks to heating sake, but this is a great method to get started. Once you have the basics down, feel free to experiment with different serving temperatures, water bath temperatures, heating vessels, and sakes!
Check out the infographic below for more details and information:
