Rice vodka (or sake) is not vodka in the literal sense of the word. This is the national drink of the Japanese, which is not included in any group of alcoholic beverages, as it is distinguished by a unique production technology. Sake can be drunk hot or chilled, or added to a variety of dishes. Rice vodka has a unique flavor that defies description, so this drink is a must-try.

Features of production

Sake began to be prepared in Japan over 2 thousand years ago. Initially, the process of making the drink was primitive: the rice was chewed and placed in a fermentation vessel. Later, the Japanese discovered a special koji mold, which began to replace saliva during fermentation. In modern Japan, rice vodka is produced in huge quantities. In every, even the smallest town, there is an enterprise that produces this drink. There are several hundred different types of Japanese vodka.

The production of a drink begins with the careful preparation of the cereal. Specially grown coarse rice is ground, washed, kept in a room with high humidity, then steamed. The prepared grains are combined with the koji mold, which has the ability to convert starch into alcohol. Yeast is added to the raw material and left for 3 months for the fermentation process. The finished drink is filtered and bottled.

Rice vodka is divided into types, depending on its strength, sweetness, pungency. There are lighter or highly scalding drinks. Young vodka has a light yellow hue, aged becomes darker. The drink has an amazing fruity taste, the origin of which is still a mystery even for specialists.

Home cooking

It will take 3 weeks to make your own rice vodka. The technology and timing should be strictly observed in order to surprise guests with the original taste of the national Japanese drink.

Ingredients:

• 180 g of rice;
• 300 ml of water;
• 100 g of moldy rice fungus (it can be ordered from specialized online stores);
• 3 g yeast;
• 3 ml lemon juice.

Cooking steps.

1. Rice is sorted out, poured with water and left overnight. Thanks to this procedure, the taste of vodka is more pronounced.
2. Rice is boiled. It is best to do this in a double boiler, but you can use a traditional pot as well. The cereal is boiled over a minimum heat for a long time, so that its walls become denser.
3. The cooled grains are placed in a container where the fermentation process will take place. It is important to pre-sterilize the dishes, since the quality of the sake completely depends on its purity.
4. Lemon juice, yeast and rice fungus are added to the rice. The container is tightly closed with a nylon lid and shaken thoroughly to mix the ingredients.
5. Dishes with future vodka are placed in a dark place away from heating appliances and sunlight. Mix the contents every day by shaking the container. In this case, the lid is opened by putting on a rubber glove or a water seal for gas exchange instead.
6. During fermentation, small bubbles will rise to the lid. After the third week, this process will end, and a sediment will appear on the bottom of the container. At this time, the drink can be filtered through a cotton-gauze filter, poured into a bottle and stored in a cold place.

This recipe makes one 0.5 ml bottle of rice vodka with a strength of about 20 degrees. If you need a larger volume of the drink, the amount of ingredients should be proportionally increased. Sake is stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day. If it is necessary to make supplies for a longer time (up to a year), vodka should be sterilized for 10 minutes at a temperature of 60 ° C. After that, the drink becomes cloudy, but in the refrigerator it returns its transparency again.

Moderate consumption of rice vodka brings great benefits to the body. Sake restores metabolism, normalizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system, lowers blood pressure, sharpens attention and memory. The Japanese consider this drink sacred, capable of prolonging youth.

Revealing the flavor of modern alcoholic products in front of you, you are guaranteed not to be able to pass by sake, popularly called rice vodka.

This is a special segment of alcohol, which with its gastronomic and aromatic characteristics is able to win the hearts of the consumer already in the first minutes of tasting.

Moreover, these drinks fit perfectly into any atmosphere. They can be purchased for organizing large parties, as well as for spending time with your best friends.

Sake is one of the brightest examples of the mastery of Japanese specialists. This is a traditional alcoholic drink that has remained a kind of visiting card of the country for several millennia.

It contains magnificent flavoring and aromatic outlines that can envelop you with unsurpassed pleasant emotions from the first moments of tasting. There are two types of Japanese rice vodka on the market today, namely:

• Futsushu. The most popular dining variety. 75% of the market is represented in this style.
• Tokutei meishoshu. Premium alcohol. It accounts for 25% of the market.

How many degrees are in sake

Previously, classic varieties of sake had a strength of 18-20 degrees, but today on the market you can increasingly find products diluted with water with a degree of 10-15%.

Colour

The visual flavor of rice vodka is based on yellow-amber and greenish products. It all directly depends on the ingredients and how they are processed.

Scent

The aroma is highlighted with fresh trails of grapes, mushrooms, cheese, bananas, soy sauce.

Taste

The gastronomic performance embodies a symbiosis of bitter sherry nuances with pleasant fruity aspects.

Did you know? Often the product we are considering is called "rice wine", but this statement is considered erroneous, since its production technology involves mold fermentation with the formation of a mash from rice malt.

Production technology

As practice shows, each sake manufacturer today creates alcohol according to its original recipe. At the same time, the manufacturing principles have remained unchanged for several hundred years.

1. Initially, manufacturers grind rice.
2. Then it is washed, soaked and then steamed.
3. As soon as the base reaches the required parameters, the specialists begin to prepare the koji dough. This stage lasts from 35 to 48 hours.
4. This is followed by the preparation of the primary mash "moto", when rice, yeast and water are added to the resulting dough. In this state, the product is left for 2-4 weeks.
5. The next step is to create the main moromi congestion. Rice and water are again added to the product, leaving everything to ferment for at least 4 days.
6. One of the last stages of manufacturing is pressing and filtration. They are carried out on the most modern equipment using carbon filters and automatic presses.
7. The finished product is sent for 6-12 months to special sealed vats, where it is pasteurized.

How to purchase an original product

If you are interested in Chinese rice vodka or the Japanese liquor options we are considering, be careful. The procedure for purchasing alcohol today is closely associated with great risks.

The consumer systematically has to deal with a large number of counterfeits that can distort the taste and aroma of the taster.

In particular, if you do not want to make a mistake with the choice of a drink for today's tasting, we recommend that you pay attention to:

• Place of purchase.

A branded Japanese product today can only be presented in specialized stores or large supermarket chains. You should not buy rice vodka in stalls and grocery stores, where they cannot provide you with the appropriate quality certificates for products.

• Excise stamp.

All foreign alcohol that undergoes customs clearance is required to have an excise tax. This security element may be absent only on bottles presented for sale in duty-free.

• Appearance.

The structure of branded rice vodka should be free of sediment, turbidity and other impurities. These are perfectly clean and transparent drinks that undergo long exposure and filtration.

• Registration.

Each Japanese alcohol producer invites the consumer to taste his product from the original bottle. Therefore, before buying alcohol, we recommend that you visit the official website of a particular company to familiarize yourself with the original external performance of the branded container.

We also note that the Japanese companies are responsible for the quality of design, excluding any factory defects both on the bottles themselves, and on labels or caps.

Did you know? The most popular sake in the world is the Choya brand.

How to serve correctly

The signature rice moonshine is best served according to classic tasting principles. Such drinks are bottled both in ordinary glasses and in traditional Japanese edeko or sakazuki.

An important point in the tasting process is devoted to the serving temperature. It is best to drink rice vodka chilled to 5 degrees. As such, it exhibits the ideal aromatic and gastronomic balance.

What products is combined with

Today, each consumer can either buy rice vodka in a store or discover the secret of that. In this case, whatever method you choose, you should pay special attention to the gastronomic accompaniment.

You should not serve drinks with excessively fatty or spicy dishes, as they can distort the taste of alcohol. Otherwise, there are no particular restrictions. Experienced tasters recommend enjoying sake with Japanese cuisine.

Did you know? Sake was first exported to other countries in the 17th century.

Other uses

As practice shows, it works well in combination with a large number of ingredients. In other words, sake can create a solid variety of alcoholic mixes that can be the perfect addition to a vibrant party.

Examples of cocktails that will leave you the most interesting and vivid impressions are Saketini, Tamagozake, Bloody Mariko, Screwdriver, and Sake Bomba.

What are the types of this drink

Considering the possibility of purchasing branded rice vodka, today you will get acquainted with an impressive list of proposals from famous Japanese companies.

The most interesting representatives of the segment in the international arena include such products as:

• Choya. Transparent alcohol with mild dry aftertaste and delicate aroma.
• Kitcho Hozan. Light golden alcohol with a rounded and powerful aftertaste. The aroma indicators symbolize an elegant fruity balance.
• Hakushika Honjozo Namachozo. Rice vodka is light in color with attractive floral undertones on the palate. The bouquet is formed from a variety of cheese and yeast trails.
• Homare Aladdin Yuzu. Possesses the most delicate lemon color and demonstrates a recognizable citrus share in the aroma. The gastronomic foundation is built on light tangerine, lime and lemon trails, decorated with a piquant bitterness.

Historical reference

According to numerous archaeological finds and research by historians, the Japanese began to brew rice vodka more than 2 thousand years ago. Moreover, for a long time this alcoholic product was created exclusively at the imperial courts, and only in the Middle Ages it began to be brewed in ordinary village communities.

Did you know? In Japan, sake is also called nihonshu.

An original accompaniment to your evening

Real Japanese vodka will be the ideal solution for the consumer who wants to create not just a relaxing, but the most pleasant atmosphere during the tasting process.

These drinks exhibit a superb light nature that allows them to be paired with a wide variety of snacks. Moreover, based on a high-quality product, you can easily create an impressive variety of cocktails that will surely delight you with bright and unforgettable emotions at the time of tasting.

Visit the nearest specialized alcoholic shop today to find the perfect alcoholic accompaniment for your upcoming tasting.

rice vodka

Alternative descriptions

Araka, aragy (Turkic) arkhi (Mongolian) erekh (Chuvash) strong alcoholic drink made from milk, grapes, potatoes, grain among the peoples of Central and Western Asia and the Caucasus (ethnographic)

Oriental moonshine made from coconut or date palm juice

Strong alcoholic beverage (barley, wheat, etc.)

Palm juice vodka

Asian vodka

Vodka made from rice or palm juice (produced in South Asia)

Asian liquor

Central Asian vodka

Vodka from Asia

Palmyra vodka

Palm vodka

Coconut vodka

Eastern moonshine

Coconut moonshine

Palm vodka

Vietnamese vodka

Palm juice vodka

Palm alcohol

Eastern vodka

Rice vodka in Asia

Palm, vodka

Gorilka on the table of an asian

Oriental homemade drink

Russian drinks vodka, and Asian?

Vodka bought in tenge

Asian alcohol

Asian homemade drink

... "Swill" for Central Asian booze

Vodka in the mouth of a resident of the East

A genus of vodka from Asia

Asian booze

What kind of vodka do some Asians drink?

From agave to pulque, and what from rice?

Oriental homemade booze

Alcohol from Asia

A spirit drink from Asia

The culprit of the Asian hangover

Vodka native to the Middle East

Asian sister of Russian vodka

Vodka "eastern" nationality

Raisin vodka

Palm booze

Asian liquor

Liquor from Asia

Asian alcoholic drink

This is how vodka is called in Asia

Moonshine from kumis

Palm alcohol

Alcohol from South Asia

Palm juice alcoholic drink

Vodka with an Asian twist

Alcohol from the juice of palm trees

Rice vodka

Alcoholic drink

Asian homemade drink

Middle Eastern vodka

Alcoholic product

Asian counterpart to German whiskey

Vodka in the mouth of an Asian

Rice or palm pervach

Palm intoxicated

Palm juice alcohol

Asian moonshine

Vodka that "emigrated" to Asia

Strong alcohol

Vodka of Asian "nationality"

Asian vodka

Asian liquor, rice vodka or palm juice

... "Asian vodka

... "Poylo" for Central Asian booze

Vodka - palmovka

Tropical liquor

Finnish vodka

Asian hot

Alcohol from the island of Java

Arabian vodka

In Ukraine, vodka, and what in Asia

Vodka "eastern nationality

Vodka "made in" Asia

Vodka "date"

Vodka of Asian "nationality"

Asian style vodka

Vodka that "emigrated" to Asia

From agave - pulque, and from rice

What kind of vodka do some Asians drink?

Kara backwards

Strong alcoholic beverage

M. vodka, expelled from sugar cane, molasses, rice or raisins (fruit vodka, from grapes, etc., called rum and cognac). Arak smell. Arak or araki cf. reluctance. sib. milk vodka of foreigners distilled from stinking kvash; among the Chuvash, Kumyshka. novoros. in some places the name of vodka. crayfish. Arakovat sib. sit araku; drive the vodka

Inverted punishment

Russian drinks vodka, and Asian

Palm juice alcohol

Inverted punishment

Kara in the opposite direction

Kara backwards

Rice vodka is prepared at home for about 3 weeks. Therefore, we advise you to be patient if you want to know the traditional taste of this drink.

Leave the rice to soak overnight for the best taste of the finished drink.

Once the rice has absorbed all the water, you can start making the vodka. The best way is to steam the rice, but you can do it any way you like - in a saucepan or cauldron. Try to cook the rice for as long as possible, this will harden the walls of the grains and lead to a longer fermentation.

It is known that the longer the fermentation process lasts, the tastier the sake is. Using the rice vodka recipe, you can make a great drink. If you like exotic dishes such as sushi, sake will not only decorate the festive table, but will also be a pleasant addition to a Japanese-style party.

Once the rice has cooled, transfer it to a bottle or jar where the sake wort will ferment. Try to do this as evenly as possible. Be sure to sterilize the dishes before cooking - the quality of the drink depends on the cleanliness of the bottle or can.

Add all remaining ingredients, cover and shake well to mix thoroughly. Keep jars of sake rice vodka in a cool, dark place and shake daily, opening the lid slightly. It is best to use a water seal or a regular rubber glove for this purpose.

After a few days, you will notice that the wort has fermented - small bubbles will rise to the top of the jar. This process will end by the third week and then sediment will be noticeable at the bottom of the can, and bubbles will stop appearing.

Now you need to strain the drink with gauze, pour it into bottles and refrigerate. Using this rice vodka recipe, you have one bottle of good Japanese drink.

Therefore, if next time you want to make more sake, increase the amount of ingredients, keeping the proportions.

The Chinese began to make vodka a long time ago. According to the chronicles, even seven hundred years ago, mash - baijiu - was cooked in huge cauldrons. A detailed description of the production of Chinese vodka has survived to this day.

The vat with the mash was placed in a cauldron, which was closed with a lid. Condensate flowed down it into a special trough. There was no question of cleaning up.

The first Chinese vodka had a strength of about sixty degrees, and its composition contained a huge amount of toxins leading to poisoning of the body. After her, I had a headache and nausea.... To somehow alleviate the condition, the drink was served warmed up.

In a specially made vodka vessel with a narrow neck they poured vodka and put it on hot coals. Light impurities evaporated while the alcohol did not have time to evaporate.

The raw materials for the mash production were millet, barley, rice and corn.

Baijiu has a specific and very unpleasant taste and smell. Some people compare it with kerosene and even with dichlorvos.

One of the types of baiji is the Chinese Maotai vodka. The production of this drink is located in the city of the same name in the Guangzhou province. The company that produces Maotai is state-owned and brings a considerable income to the country's budget. Its strength is from forty to sixty degrees. Chinese sorghum vodka is being prepared, crushed wheat and rice. She has a special smell, characteristic only for Maotai, and the color is yellow.

For China, this alcoholic drink is a national pride. Its sales abroad are breaking all records, and every international meeting with the Chinese delegation does not go without Maotai.

Maotai's Recipe

The recipe for making Chinese vodka is as follows:

• For cooking, use early ripe rice of a special sticky breed and gaoliang.
• Powdered cereal is mixed with yeast.
• Shredded rice and whole grains are placed in the wort boiling kettles.
• Braga is cooked at a high temperature, unlike other alcoholic beverages. This lasts about a month, after which they do at least eight distillations.
• Mix Maotai of the old distillation with a young drink.

The resulting vodka has fifty-three degrees of strength. It is quite mild and absolutely safe from the point of view of intoxication. Maotai vodka is prepared for a long time and painstakingly. After eight cleanings, it is aged for about three years in a dark place with a temperature of no more than ten degrees. This explains such a high price of the drink.

But Maotai, according to Chinese nutritionists, does not harm the stomach lining. The drink has a characteristic feature: at the very beginning it may not be intoxicating, but after a while, intoxication comes abruptly and suddenly.

This Chinese vodka is one of the most expensive alcoholic drinks in the world. Its price ranges from one hundred fifty to nine hundred US dollars.

The world first learned about Chinese vodka in 1886, when Maotai was awarded the prestigious prize in Paris. A year earlier, she received three gold medals during an international food conference. In total, Maotai has fourteen gold medals, received in different years since the eighties.

The uniqueness of this vodka lies in the fact that such a rare culture as gaoliang is used for its production. The fact of using water from a mountain source is no less significant.

Gaoliang cereal culture is famous its useful properties:

Gaoliang is recommended for diabetics to lower blood sugar levels, as well as for pregnant women. It is also indispensable in the diet of the elderly as a source of easily digestible vegetable protein. In the wax coating of gaolyan grains, there is a substance such as polykazkhanol, which fights against the formation of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels.

The beneficial qualities of this cereal were passed on to Maotai. Experts say that moderate consumption of the drink helps to normalize the function of the brain and nervous system. Thanks to the active ingredients in Gaolyan, the immune system is strengthened and the risk of arthrosis is reduced.

The drink absolutely does not cause a hangover syndrome due to high-quality and multiple cleaning, as well as the content of antioxidants in its composition.

How to drink Maotai

Tradition is of great importance in the life of every Chinese person.... Drinking alcohol in China is more like an ancient ritual. How to drink Chinese vodka:

Surprisingly, the most popular toast in China is “Drink to the Bottom”.

Ulyanye vodka

It is produced in Sichuan province. Corn, rice and wheat are used as raw materials. There are several types of Ulyanye, different in strength. Vodka is produced with a strength of fifty-two degrees, thirty-nine and sixty-eight. Unlike Maotai, this vodka is absolutely transparent, with a pleasant aroma.

Ulyanye entered the top ten vodkas in China and is also actively exported to other countries.

Jiang Nan Chun

It is one of the favorite alcoholic drinks of the Chinese people. Its strength is fifty-two degrees, but recently vodka with a strength of sixty has appeared. She has a rich aroma and good taste. It is not recommended to store Jiang for a long time, as over time it acquires the taste and smell of sourdough. Vodka is prepared from special glutinous varieties of sorghum, glutinous rice and corn.

Jiang's manufacturing method is very ancient... Sichuan province began producing alcoholic beverages earlier than other places in China. Even during the Tang Dynasty, drinks from Sichuan were put into the palace and used exclusively by the court nobility.

This vodka has earned recognition three hundred years ago. ... When was called Mian Zhu Da Qu... It was renamed only in one thousand nine hundred and fifty-eight.

Fenjiu

Gaoliang is used for its production. and clean spring water in Xing Hua village. Fenjiu vodka comes from the Shanxi province where it is still produced. During production, the Chinese tried to preserve ancient traditions only by slightly improving them. This alcoholic beverage is also one of the ten most exported vodkas in China. Its strength is sixty degrees, and the taste and unique smell makes the drink memorable against the background of other products.

Sheun Jing

Translated as "double distillation". This vodka is made exclusively from special varieties of rice with increased gluten. The strength of the drink is thirty-five degrees.

San Hua

In translation - "three flowers". It is made according to old technology, since the history of this vodka is more than a thousand years old. It got its name thanks to floral scent. The strength of San Hua vodka is fifty-seven percent.

Luzhou

This drink is the pride of the Sichuan alcoholic industry. She has a rather pungent smell of sour peaches. The fortress is fifty degrees.

Vodka with additives

Many health drinks are also sold in China, based on high quality alcohol. They contain various medicinal herbs, flowers and berries. You can also find drinks that are completely shocking in their composition, containing scorpions, lizards or snakes. Tourists often ask the question - how safe is it to drink such alcohol?

Given the fact that production of strange drinks there are more than one century, the Chinese have learned to make them absolutely safe with any additives. The main thing is not to drink too much when using it, but to limit yourself to the recommended rate.

This weak drink contains only twenty degrees of alcohol. The Chinese call it wine, although there are no fruits in the drink.

Yellow wine is prepared, like any vodka ... Rice is used in the manufacture with increased gluten and millet. It is served heated in vessels made of copper or bronze. Yellow wine is often used for cooking in Chinese cuisine.