Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage that is made from fermented rice. Often referred to as “Japanese rice wine,” sake (pronounced “sah-keh”) is actually closer to beer than to wine in its brewing process, however, it is light in color with a hint of sweetness.

Four ingredients are required to make sake: rice, koji, yeast, and water. The rice grains are polished to remove the bran, then mixed with koji mold, yeast, and water in a fermentation process that converts the starches into sugar, which then ferments into alcohol.