Amazake Is The Sweet, No-Alcohol Sake Perfect For Cold Winters

Having a hard time figuring out the right mocktail for your holiday menu? You're not alone. There has been a huge spike in consumer interest in non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beverages in recent years.

Business Insider India reports that in 2021 alone, interest in the market increased by 33%. Food Processing says that taking sabbaticals from drinking with events like Dry January have become more popular as well. CNN claims that a CGA-conducted survey showed 35% of Americans took part in abstaining from alcohol for the month of January last year.

There are plenty of reasons to give this lifestyle a shot. Harvard Medical School says that many who participated in Dry January reported sleeping better and having more energy as just a few of the benefits they saw from the sober lifestyle.

One of the hardest parts of this lifestyle though can be finding substitutions for your favorite drinks at the bar, or for something flavorful to enjoy at home that packs more of a punch than juice, soda, or seltzer.

If you're looking for something that will have the flavorful punch of an alcoholic drink without the booze, then look no further than Amazake. Timeout says that amazake is a non-alcoholic version of sake that's worth getting to know.

While not as popular as its alcoholic cousin sake, Amazake has a long and storied history that goes back centuries. Timeout says that the drink was first enjoyed in Japan around the Kofun period (from 300 to 538 A.D.). Japanese Food Guide points out that the drink is mentioned in the Nihon shoki, or "Chronicles of Japan," as Reishu. It retells an incident that supposedly took place in 289 in which an emperor was given the drink as a cold refreshing beverage.

Japanese Food Guide claims that Reishu would later become known as Amazake, and specialized shops selling the beverage would spread throughout the country. It would also appear in pieces of art as a representation of a common health drink.

Timeout adds that over the many centuries the drink has come and gone with trends, especially as other foreign drinks became more common among the Japanese islands. A growing interest in fermented foods and drinks for wellness though has brought the drink back into the spotlight.

Timeout reports that Amazake is highly similar to sake, except for one ingredient — yeast. Because of this, there is nothing present to consume the drink's sugars and produce alcohol.

The drink's main ingredients are quite similar to sake — steamed rice, water, and rice koji. According to Clearspring, koji is rice fermented with Aspergillus oryzae, the same culture that is used to produce soy sauce, mirin, and miso paste. Because this creates a fermented rice drink without producing alcohol, it has the complex flavors associated with an alcoholic drink without the buzz.

Japanese Food Guide adds that this fermentation creates a number of health benefits as well. Well-made Amazake usually contains all nine essential amino acids, is high in dietary fiber, and also has a surplus of B vitamins.

Just One Cookbook says that Amazake is easily made by combining the ingredients and leaving them to ferment at the proper temperature. Japanese Food Guide points out that there are different types of Amazake, though they are prepared in a similar manner, and are differentiated more by their consistency. Katazukuri amazake is a thicker Amazake, while usuzukuri Amazake is thinner, and has more water. Hayazukuri Amazake is a third style that is made with only koji rice and has a much more pronounced flavor than the others. Timeout adds that some makers will run their Amazake through a sieve to filter out the rice and koji, but it isn't required.

According to The Japan Store, Amazake has a pleasantly light sweetness to it. This is thanks to the natural sugars released by the rice and koji and doesn't come from any added sugars. Timeout adds that it can also have a "funky" depth of flavor to it thanks to its fermented nature.

Japanese Food Guide claims that Amazake is a versatile drink that can be enjoyed throughout the year. In the summertime, a chilled glass can be sipped like the emperor in the Nihon shoki as a hydrating reprieve. It can also be served warm in the wintertime as a break from the cold. Timeout recommends adding a dash of ginger powder to lightly flavor the drink or simply adding it to a smoothie for its natural sugars and health benefits. There are also versions of Amazake mixed with fruit juices for different flavors as well.

Japanese Taste says that it's easy to make Amazake at home with minimal ingredients and equipment. You can also find it in Japanese department stores and grocery stores. Some sake brewers will brew their own Amazake as well to offer some variety (via Japanese Food Guide). You can buy a wide variety of amazake products online from Amazake Co., which is a company based in Los Angeles.