A Renewed Appreciation for Sake

For us Filipinos, rice is part of our daily staple, mainly as our main source of carbohydrates that we accompany with a variety of viands.

- MARIANNE GO

Occasionally, we also make it into snacks such as puto or kakanin—different forms of rice cakes and sweets. However, unlike some of our neighbors, we have never used rice to make an alcoholic drink.

Fortunately, our neighbors—Japan and Korea—have done us the favor and have perfected alcoholic drinks that younger Filipinos now enjoy, specifically the Korean soju and the new varieties of sake.

To be fair, Japanese sake was introduced to the Philippines much earlier than the now popular Korean soju. In fact, prior to the Korean barbecue, Japanese cuisine—sashimi, tempura, and sukiyaki—were Filipino favorites. However, sake was considered a stylized drink that accompanied Japanese meals and cost more than local beers and wine, and was thus not appreciated by ordinary Filipinos.

The advent of K-pop and K-dramas popularized the much cheaper soju along with the now ubiquitous Korean barbecue cuisine that has spread like wildfire and that Filipinos have totally embraced because of its close similarity to our favorite bar-b-q stick cuisine, best eaten freshly cooked and off the grill with rice.

Thankfully, due to the efforts of some people who truly love and appreciate sake, Japan’s treasured national drink is now regaining popularity with the introduction of a wider variety of sakes including sparkling varieties.

At the forefront of efforts to revive the popularity of sake is the Joseph family-led Philippine Wine Merchants and Okada Manila—with the strong support of Mrs. Takako Okada, the former wife of Kazuo Okada who chose to personally attend the press event.