Great in the Sake?

Sake has taken a big step away from those teeny ceramic cups.

by Alex Richmond

Sake has taken a big step away from those teeny ceramic cups. In fact, sake cocktails are everywhere these days. Though some might gag reflexively at the idea of, say, putting a shot of gin into a glass of white wine, the saketini is as commonplace as a martini. Whether it was the incredibly potent gin with sake served at the opening of the Puma store, or delicious mixtures with fresh juices elsewhere, these combinations are here, and you’ve probably had one.

Still, not everyone is behind the idea of mixing fermented rice wine with booze and juice. John Gauntner, a longtime resident of Japan, is recognized as the leading non-Japanese sake expert in the world. His website,

www.sake-world.com, puts it very plainly: "Accept that by mixing sake with any fruity or nutty flavoring, or any other liquor or mixer, you cannot taste the sake. End of story. … If you like such cocktails, fine. Enjoy them. But I cannot support or promote them."

Gauntner has written four books on the topic, but he is not a restaurateur. As a group, they are often loath to say no to anyone’s whims. Umer Naim is the manager of West Chester’s newest Japanese restaurant, Teikoku. His rule on sake drinks is this: "There is no rule. I try to make [alcohol] easy and take the snob out of it. I believe that sake is a very versatile drink, and I want to put the fun back into it."

Naim worked at Buddakan, Pod and Morimoto before landing at Teikoku, and helped develop several kinds of delicious sake cocktails, including the sake cosmo. "We called it sakura, the Japanese word for cherry blossom," he says. "It really sold quite a bit, I think the name helped." To mix your own at home, use Gummei sake, Cointreau (or triple sec), cranberry juice and fresh lime.

Naim introduced the sake martini to Philly at Buddakan, too. He says, "Most people use more vodka than sake, and sometimes it’s really nasty sake. I thought we could use more sake and less vodka, [so] it was much smoother. We added cucumber as a garnish, though I love it with sudachi, a Japanese citrus fruit with a strong smell and taste." Naim even experimented with sake mojitos. "It was very complicated in the beginning. We used shisho mint, a Japanese mint leaf which is much more aromatic than a regular mint leaf."

There is a problem: Naim says that in Pennsylvania, it’s almost impossible to get good sake; "Sho Chiku Bai is the one you see a lot that isn’t too good." N.Y. and N.J. liquor stores have more varieties than Pennsylvania, says Naim.

Restaurateur Roy Yamaguchi (of Roy’s) supplies his version, Y Sake, which Naim says is pretty good, to state stores, while Morimoto, Philadelphia’s premier Japanese chef, brews his own. You can find the nine or 10 kinds Teikoku carries in stores, but be warned: There’s a six-bottle purchase minimum in state stores, and using sake in cocktails stretches the bottle, so know what you like before you make such an investment.