Sake (酒) is Japan's traditional rice brew. People often call it "rice wine," but that name fits only loosely. Brewers make it from rice, water, yeast and a mould called kōji. The method is closer to beer than to grape wine, yet people drink it like neither. In Japanese, sake can mean any alcoholic drink. The precise word for the rice drink is nihonshu (日本酒), "the alcohol of Japan."
How it is made
The secret of sake is kōji (麹), a mould that grows on steamed rice. It breaks down the starch in the rice into sugar, and then yeast turns that sugar into alcohol. In sake, both steps happen at the same time in the same tank. That makes brewing unusually delicate, and master brewers (tōji) train for years. Before brewing, mills polish the rice to remove its outer layers. How much they remove helps decide the grade of the sake. The more they mill the grain down, the more refined and fragrant the sake. Top grades like ginjō and daiginjō use highly polished rice. Junmai means "pure rice," with no added alcohol.
How it is drunk
You can drink sake warm (atsukan, 熱燗) in winter or chilled in summer. It comes in a small flask (tokkuri, 徳利), and you pour it into little cups. One point of etiquette matters: you never fill your own cup. You pour for others and let them pour for you. This small ritual of attention runs all through Japanese drinking. Sake also belongs to celebrations and ceremonies. People break open barrels at weddings and at New Year. Shrines offer it to the kami, the gods, and you often see stacks of casks there, gifts from local brewers. Sake is also the natural partner for an evening at an izakaya, a Japanese pub.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
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日本酒 vs 酒: 酒 (sake) means alcohol in general, and 日本酒 (nihonshu) means the traditional rice drink. Abroad, "sake" means the rice drink. In Japan, it is better to be specific.
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お酌 (o-shaku): pouring a drink for someone else. Fill your companion's cup and never your own: this is basic courtesy at the table.