Here are all the best sake cocktails worth trying! From a Kyoto Sour to a Sake Mojito, these drinks are a delicious way to enjoy sake at home.
There is no other alcoholic beverage that is more associated with the Japanese people than the much-beloved sake.
Sake is a slightly sweet and clean-tasting drink with a slightly nutty and fruity aroma that disappears after pouring the drink into a glass.
This brewed alcohol, much like beer and wine, is derived by fermenting rice cleaned and polished to convert its ingredients into this highly enjoyed drink.
Sake’s popularity has become increasingly appreciated worldwide, with its unique qualities and flavors that stand out from other alcoholic beverages.
These qualities have now been explored by mixologists, who have found endless possibilities of combinations that go great with sake.
Sake has plenty of umami, adding richness when mixed into sake cocktails.
It’s also a very versatile drink, making it go well with ingredients that create drinks that offer delicate, sweet, and even bitter sake cocktails.
The #10 Sake Lemon Drop is a refreshing take on the classic cocktail that’s certainly worth the try!
1. Kyoto Sour
The Kyoto Sour is a cocktail that highlights sake’s versatility, allowing it to combine seamlessly to complement other ingredients in a drink.
It offers a pleasant clash of mild flavors, from the subtle hits of Japanese rice wine, a dash of spice from the pepper ingredient, to the strong tang from the citrus juices to create a cocktail known for its fresh, spicy, and sour flavors.
This drink is made by first muddling grapefruit slices with green Tabasco sauce before combining the remaining ingredients, such as sake, lemon juice, and agave nectar, in a cocktail shaker.
Strain the drink into a glass that’s filled with ice, and garnish with a grapefruit slice and a fresh sprig of mint.
This inventive drink is colorful and appealing, aptly representing the title it’s given.
Pink-colored and bright, this sake cocktail is sweet and tangy, with a pleasant combination of vodka and sake that provide a clean and forward kick.
To create the Blushing Geisha, strawberries and sugar are muddled with lemon juice in a mixing tin with ice.
Sake, vodka, and creme de fraise liqueur are added to the muddled mix to be shaken together.
Pour the mixed contents into a glass and serve with ice to enjoy this great drink.
This Asian Pear Sake Sangria is easy to make, offering an appealing drink you can serve at your next social gathering.
A vibrant variation to the traditional sangria combines fresh and bright flavors from pear-infused sake, strawberries, lemon, basil, and club soda.
Muddle the strawberries, lemon, and basil in a pitcher, before adding sake and stir together.
Place the pitcher in the fridge to chill for up to 3 hours, add ice before serving, and top it off with club soda for that extra fizz.
A Swizzle is a drink served in tall glasses with crushed or pebbled ice stirred together or “swizzled” using a swizzle stick.
This variation amplifies the gin-based foundation by adding sake with a spiced syrup that makes the drink herbaceous and peppery.
The spiced syrup is an essential ingredient that can be prepared beforehand.
In addition, it is a versatile element that you can use with complex flavors, making it a significant component of many drink recipes.
To make this cocktail, combine gin, sake, coconut water, turmeric juice, lime juice, and the pre-made spiced syrup in a highball glass filled halfway with crushed ice.
Swizzle the ingredients together for 10 seconds and add more crushed ice to the glass while garnishing with a sprig of mint and lime twist before serving.
5. Tamagozake
Combining sake with other delicious ingredients is not new, with this Tamagozake recipe being used by the Japanese people to drink when they feel under the weather.
Tamagozake is a traditional Japanese warm sake drink with raw egg, sugar, or honey, similar to a hot toddy or eggnog.
This recipe adds grated ginger, and lemon to the classic mix, while also utilizing egg whites for consistency, with added spices that add more complex flavors.
Also known as a Ginza Mary, or Bloody Geisha, this version of the Bloody Mary uses Gekkeikan Sake, which is refreshing and easy to find.
This sake cocktail has more of a kick than the traditional recipe and provides a perfect blend of flavors, from the mild and fruity taste of the sake, the tartness from the tomato juice, and the added heat from the hot and peppery sauces.
This recipe also uses Sriracha instead of standard Tabasco, as it pairs well with sake and adds Worcestershire sauce for more complexity.
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, pour into a glass filled with ice, and garnish the drink with celery to serve.
The Little Venice is a more delicate variation of the Sweet Manhattan and incorporates sake with char-flavored bourbon whiskey and sweet vermouth.
This cocktail looks elegant and complex while being easy to make.
Simply stir all the ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass to serve.
Garnish with a luscious cherry or a twist of orange zest, and enjoy this drink’s layers of flavor.
8. Pink Sakura
The Pink Sakura is a cherry blossom sake cocktail that epitomizes seasonal spring when cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
In line with the Japanese tradition of Hanami, a celebration filled with enjoyment at the beauty of the sakura trees, this drink is an excellent complement to the celebration, with its bright fuchsia and pastel pink colors.
This cocktail uses nigori sake, which has a thick, cloudy appearance, that’s creamy and sweet.
The sake is combined with Maraschino liqueur, pink grapefruit juice, and simple syrup, mixed in a cocktail shaker with ice until it’s all well-chilled.
Serve it with pre-made cherry blossom ice cubes, which add beautiful color and aesthetics to this celebratory cocktail that’s perfect for the season.
This special sake Negroni is a delicious variation of the traditional martini, with the addition of premium sake that adds to the complex flavors.
This bitter cocktail also provides a balance of sweet, fruity, and herbal flavors, which sake works very well with.
To make this drink, add the sake, Campari, and vermouth in a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake until chilled.
Strain and serve in a martini glass garnished with a lemon wheel and witness this drink stand out from any table.
10. Sake Lemon Drop
A drink that highlights the versatility of sake, this sake lemon drop is a refreshingly sweet, tart, and smooth cocktail to enjoy.
A variation to the traditional lemon drop, which uses vodka as its base, this recipe utilizes sake and adds citrus flavors that highlight sake’s floral flavors.
Combine sake, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously for up to 20 seconds, and pour in a glass to enjoy.
This sangria recipe offers all the flavors of summer, with a burst of flavors from each of its ingredients.
This Tangerine Ginger Sake Sangria features fresh ginger, crisp tangerine, and nigori sake, offering fruity, sweet, and peppery elements to the drink, with a minty finish that’s truly refreshing.
This drink is prepared in huge servings and best enjoyed with friends, even on the warmest days.
12. Original Sin
This honeyed cocktail is luscious and distinct and combines rich elements to create a drink worthy of its name.
The Original Sin combines absinthe, sake, and vodka mixed with honey syrup to create a next-level Vodka Saketini.
Served in a glass with ice and garnished with star anise, this cocktail may look simple and innocent but has a depth of flavor and a righteous kick hiding behind it.
A classic manhattan is a cocktail traditionally made with whiskey, vermouth, and bitters.
This variation offers more tart flavors, adding plum-flavored sake and apricot liqueur.
To make this drink, whiskey, plum sake, apricot liqueur, and bitters are combined in a mixing glass with ice and stirred together.
Pour the cold mixture into a glass with ice, and serve with a sprig of thyme.
14. Hanabi Luxury
This regal cocktail is a refreshing mix perfect for those lazy summer nights!
It combines vodka and cloudy Nigori Sake with fruity Midori liqueur, bitters, lime, and simple syrup, making it a pleasant cocktail to enjoy!
Mix all the ingredients using a cocktail shaker and pour into a glass with crushed ice.
Garnish with a piece of edible flower, and watch this fresh-colored drink take centerstage!
15. Sake Mojito
An ideal drink to serve during a gathering in the backyard on a warm day, this Sake Mojito is a refreshing mix made with the freshest ingredients.
A flavorful Mojito is always welcome at any party, but this version made with sake is a smooth drink with quite a kick!
This cocktail is made by creating the standard mojito, crushing mint leaves, and combining it with sugar and lime.
Sake is then added into the mix and strained into a glass with ice.
Top the drink off with club soda, garnish with a sprig of mint, and feel the refreshment with each sip!
The bottom line
Sake cocktails are refreshing, mild, and flavorful, with the qualities of sake providing just the right flavors that still allow the other ingredients to shine through.
This clear liquid may seem simple and innocent, but it packs quite a kick, which you would surely want in a delicious cocktail!
BEST Sake Cocktails
Here are all the best sake cocktails worth trying! From a Kyoto Sour to a Sake Mojito, these drinks are a delicious way to enjoy sake at home.
Ingredients
- Kyoto Sour
- Blushing Geisha
- Asian Pear Sake Sangria
- Federal Ave. Swizzle
- Tamagozake
- Sake Bloody Mary
- Little Venice
- Pink Sakura
- Sake Negroni Martini
- Sake Lemon Drop
- Tangerine Ginger Sake Sangria
- Original Sin
- Plum Sake Manhattan
- Hanabi Luxury
- Sake Mojito
Instructions
- Find your favorite recipe from our Sake Cocktails list.
- Gather all the ingredients needed.
- Start mixin' and make us proud!