Sake Pairing Suggestions for Thanksgiving
Sake is a perfect option for your Thanksgiving meal. Its umami perfectly compliments most hearty Thanksgiving fare, while its diversity means you have plenty of options.
All of these are available for purchase from DC Sake Co, so are easily accessible if you’re in the Washington DC area!
Check out the following pairing ideas below!
Brooklyn Kura Occidental Dry Hopped Sake or North American Sake Brewery Olympus Junmai Ginjo
What better time for American sake than Thanksgiving? Brooklyn Kura's dry-hopped sake is great for beer lovers, with its herbaceous hops layering on top of a base sake with tons of tropical fruit notes like pineapple and papaya. If hops aren't your thing, I'd suggest North American Sake Brewery's Junmai Ginjo. It's a classic fruity sake with notes of apples and melon and shows how far American sake has come.
Pairings: Cheese, Salad, Stuffing
Dewazakura Omachi Junmai Ginjo
Dewazakura popularized ginjo-style sake with their flagship filled with apple, gooseberry, and melon flavors. Their Omachi version, the oldest sake rice varietal and known for being herbal and robust, provides a richer backbone that goes great with heartier thanksgiving fare.
Pairings: Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, Any fried or salty foods
Purchase here
Harada 80 Junmai
This junmai with a very high 80% rice polishing ratio is extremely versatile and would pair well with almost anything on the Thanksgiving table. It's ricey and savory, yet dry and clean enough to not be cloying or overpowering. There's also a pineapple note that works well with typical Thanksgiving foods as well
Pairings: Turkey, Cornbread, Rice, Stuffing
Purchase here
Mantensei Star-Filled Sky Junmai Ginjo Koshu
This junmai ginjo koshu tastes like fall in a glass - the aging process combines with the base fruity ginjo notes to bring out flavors like stewed apples, honey, miso, and baking spices. This sake is robust enough to work with both entrees and desserts.
Pairings: Butternut Squash, Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie
Purchase here