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If you’ve ever been to a Japanese bar or restaurant, you’ve likely seen a menu with a list of different types of sake, a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage that’s made by fermenting yeast, similar to the process of making beer. But sake differs in that it’s made with rice, water and koji (a strain of fungus used for various culinary purposes and in the production of alcohol), and can have either a sweet or dry finish. The alcohol content of sake usually ranges from 9-16%.
Rabbit House, an omakase and sake bar that opened six years ago in New York City, has an extensive sake menu thanks to Yoshiko Sakuma, the restaurant’s chef and owner. Born and raised in Japan, Sakuma is deeply familiar with the origins of sake and how it pairs with different foods thanks to her many years of culinary experience working at multiple restaurants around the world.
“When I was in Japan, I had the opportunity to work at very nice izakaya-type restaurants. They had a very good selection of sake,” she told HuffPost. “We have so many sake breweries in Japan and some of them have a long history. All the techniques of sake making are getting better because technology continues to advance.”
Because she’s a trained sake sommelier and has a dynamic culinary background, we asked Sakuma to grace us with her sake expertise. Check out Sakuma’s beginner-friendly sake picks to add to your bar cart or to impress your dinner guests. They’re all available on Tippsy Sake, where you can peruse even more types of sake.
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