One of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world, dating back to 300 A.D., is becoming the drink of choice for many of today's consumers. In Japan, sake (pronounced sah-kay) is referred to as the "drink of the gods" and was used as an offering to Japanese Shinto gods. Now, it is offered up to restaurant diners around the globe; in fact, according to Oregon-based sake-maker SakeOne, one in every five glasses of wine served in the world is sake.

Sake master Grif Frost, founder and CEO of SakeOne, credits the dramatic rise in sake's popularity to the fact that diners are becoming more sophisticated and better educated about food in general, including sake. "With over 300 labels of sake to choose from in the U.S. and 40,000 labels worldwide, sake is definitely a trend that will happen," he says.

Coming to America

Sake is considered a rice wine, but unlike wine, it contains no sulfites or preservatives. It is brewed from rice and water and is naturally fermented by converting glucose into alcohol through yeast enzymes. The Sake Association of America, an Internet-based clearinghouse on sake (www.sakeusa.com), believes that it is the healthiest alcoholic beverage in the world, because of its pure and natural ingredients.

America's increasingly health-conscious population could be one reason why sake consumption is picking up around the country. Consumers are just beginning to worship this Japanese import in the United States, where only one in 20 glasses of wine served is sake. The first sake brewery in the United States was established in Hawaii in 1908, but the drink did not truly catch on in America until the 1990s. "Sake producers in the U.S. have seen their production increase by an average of 25 percent per year since 1992, and in the premium sake segment, they have seen an increase in sales of 150 percent since 1999," says Frost.

The American sake market — with sales of $55 million in 1999 — represents just a fraction of the $9 billion Japanese market, but it is growing; U.S. sake consumption quadrupled from 1990 to 1998.

Warren Rice, former assistant manager of Buddakan Restaurant and Bar in Philadelphia, has seen sake consumption increase by 50 percent since the restaurant opened two years ago. "It is pretty popular. When going to a Pan-Asian restaurant, people want the entire experience," he says, including sipping sake. He believes its popularity is also due, in part, to its reputation for being hangover-free. "It is unique in that regard," he says.

Mary Richter, chef/owner of Zuki Moon Noodles in Washington DC, believes sake's popularity is just beginning to peak in the United States. "It is still taking time for it to catch on, and is typically more popular with those individuals who have some Japanese background or have traveled to Japan, but sales continue to rise."

One problem that Richter has encountered while trying to beef up sales of the Asian beverage, however, is finding a consistent sake supply through her liquor distributor. Sake brewers attribute this to a lack of aggressive marketing in the United States, but that appears to be rapidly changing. Sake brewing in the United States has picked up and access to quality sake is becoming more readily available. Shochikubai, Ozeki, Gekkeikan and Ha-kushika — some of the best-known brands of sake — now have breweries in the United States. Currently, there are seven breweries across the country: five in California, one in Colorado and one in Oregon. These states were chosen for their high quality, iron-free water, which sake experts say is a key component of brewing great sake. Combined, the American breweries produce roughly 2 million gallons of sake a year. All major Japanese food companies, such as Japanese Food Corporation located in Tokyo, also carry and distribute sake.

Selecting a superior sake

Restaurateurs who want to quench their customers' thirst for something new should do their homework before adding sake to their beverage menus. For example, unlike wine, sake does not get better with age. In fact, sake should be consumed within a 18 months of its bottling, says Frost.

Superior sake also should be served cold — contrary to common practice in some Japanese restaurants. According to Frost, after World War II, there was no rice available to make sake so the beverage was made from distilled alcohol instead. "This was pretty foul stuff, which you could only force down if it was served piping hot," says Frost. "Then the [American] GIs brought back the misconception that all sake should be served piping hot and the tradition continued."

True connoisseurs, however, say that quality sake can stand on its own and does not need to be heated to hide its flaws. If sake is to be heated, though, The Sake Association of America recommends that it be served at between 98 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. "I refuse to heat sake for my customers," says Yoshi Tome, owner of Sushi Ran in Sausalito, California. "Customers expect it to be boiling hot, but it's only the alcohol that's being heated, which kills all the sake cells. Sake should be served chilled or at body temperature."

Although sake does not age with the grace of wine, the beverage is subjected to similar scrutiny as wine in terms of quality. Signs of a premium sake include its lack of color and odor and its perfect clarity. If the sake is dark yellow or smells like vinegar, it has gone bad. Finally, and most important, sake should be judged by taste. Like wine, sake is slurped to allow air in, pushed around the mouth and spat out. To achieve the best results, experts try to swirl the sake inside the mouth, as if pushing the sake into the nose, sucking in a little air, then slowly breathing the air out through the nose. Sake should be sweet but not cloying.

Premium sake also is measured by the size of the rice used to brew the beverage. Sake-brewing rice differs from table rice primarily in the size of its inner core of pure, white starch. All other things being equal, the larger this inner core, the smoother the brewing process and the better the taste of the sake. The more the grain is milled to remove its impurities, the finer the sake. Many premium sakes indicate this on the bottle; the more the rice is polished, the finer the flavor of the sake.

Super-premium sakes, a category referred to as daiginjoshu, are made from rice that has been polished to remove 50 percent or more of the outside. Premium sakes, ginjoshu, include rice that has been polished to roughly 40 percent; regular sakes, junmaishu, are polished to about 30 percent.

Also, unlike wine, good sake can come out of a bottle with a twist-off cap or from a box. Both are considered a more effective means of storing the sake, because corks can discolor rice wine and exposure to air will speed up its deterioration. Sake should be refrigerated or stored in a cool, dark place.

Selling sake

Sake brewers believe that one of the reasons the beverage has become so popular — particularly with the 25-and-under crowd — is that sake is a healthy alternative to other alcoholic drinks. It contains no artificial additives or enhancers, and is lower in alcohol content and calories than distilled spirits. Also, sake has 50 percent less acidity than grape or fruit wines, giving it, according to Warren Rice, "a clean experience to the palate."

Sushi Ran promotes its sake collection in a number of different ways, including a 100-page Web site, www.sushiran.com, with information ranging from recipes to proper serving instructions. The restaurant's waitstaff attends a two- to three-hour seminar hosted by sake professionals to learn about the popular drink. In addition, Sushi Ran rotates its collection of sakes and encourages customers to try different types and flavors. "We change our sake menu every week," Tome says. "We have a new sake available by the glass for customers every week." Zuki Moon Noodles — whose sake list includes a $100-a-bottle premium brand — promotes the beverage by offering complimentary samples.

SakeOne, which has focused primarily on retail sales of sake to date, is now moving into the restaurant side of the business. "In order for sake to be sold effectively in the U.S. restaurant industry, it must be sold as a wine, offered by the glass or bottle, served chilled, served in a wine glass and explained on the wine list as a wine," explains Frost, who is helping operators to create sake-based cocktails and incorporate sakes into their wine list, as well as running server-education courses.

Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles to promoting sake properly is overcoming the language barrier. Sake names are long and confusing and do not roll off the American tongue very easily. Although many brands are given American descriptions, ordering sake can be intimidating. Servers are being trained to help with suggestions and descriptions and some restaurants offer very descriptive explanations. SakeOne, for example, has developed informative bottle labels to help English-speaking consumers understand what they're about to drink. "We want every customer to have the best sake experience possible, so our labels feature serving suggestions, flavor profiles and ingredients," says Frost.

Serving a sake worth savoring

It is clear that sake is not just for Japanese restaurants anymore; the beverage complements many other types of food as well. It's a natural with seafood, pasta dishes and most other Asian food. Zuki Moon's Richter suggests offering sake with salad meals and vinaigrette dressing, because sake does not have the acidity of wines. In fact, Richter incorporates it into much of her cooking. "Where I used to use wine, I use sake," says Richter, who uses it for everything from dipping sauces to poaching halibut. One popular dish at Sushi Ran is a sea bass marinated in miso and sake.

Sake is also seeping into the dessert arena. Sushi-Ko in Washington DC serves a "Sake Sorbet," made with shaved ice and served in a cocktail glass, which the restaurant touts as a perfect way to round out a sushi-and-rice meal.

Other restaurants are using sake behind the bar to add new twists to old favorites, such as margaritas, martinis and bloody marys. Sake also can be used as an alternative ingredient to vodka and gin in cocktails. Buddakan offers sake-inspired drinks such as "Blue Buddha", a fruity combination of sake, blue caracao and white sangria, and "Sumo in a Sidecar II", apricot brandy, sake and a splash of sour mix. SakeOne's Moonstone series targets fruit-infused beverage fans with its line of sakes made with citrus and berry flavors, such as black raspberry and Asian peach.

Demand is brewing for sake

It may have taken a few centuries, but America is finally catching on to the Japanese national pasttime — and sake sales are expected to be on the rise as more people discover sake and learn to savor its unique flavor.

"I envision a day not too far in the future," Frost says, "when premium sakes are on every wine list, on every cocktail list and on every supermarket shelf in America."

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