Taste testing Sake ONO — a drink that likes to chill

Sake is a drink in rude health right now. Its popularity across the world is on the rise and it has finally managed to move beyond its association with Asian cuisine and into the bars and clubs.

According to a recent study by OhBev, the drink has had an 148% jump in exports to Western Europe since 2020 and it's even more impressive in the US — where 29% of all sake is now exported.

Couple this with UNESCO’s recognition of sake brewing methods in 2024 and this complex drink is proving pretty popular.

And like all good drinks, it even has its own week. National Sake Week takes place 5-11 May — and is sponsored by the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS).

Given we are slap bang in this week (at time of writing), it would be rude not to taste test some sake, so Shortlist headed to Dovetale Restaurant in Mayfair — dining on a menu created by Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers — to not only try the drink but a number of cocktails that use Sake ONO as ingredient...

First the cocktails...

Thankfully bartenders are wising up to sake being a great, versatile drink and the cocktails we taste tested were testament to this.

A cocktail comprising Tanqueray gin, Sake ONO, Kombu infused Creme de Peche, sour grape and Rathfinny sparkling wine was a perfect palate cleanser cutting through the carpaccio of English wagyu we gorged on.

It was a really fresh drink, with the sake making a decent low ABV alternative to add to the mix.

Another cocktail which brought out the complexity of the sake was one that combined Green Walnut Spirit, Mancino Ambato, damson plum vodka and Sake ONO. This was superb, packed with umami flavour and the perfect pairing to the T-bone steak and halibut which we shared with the table.

There was a real richness to the cocktail which brought out the more savoury side to the sake, which was enhanced with a hidden olive.

We finished on a superb take on a martini, comprising Sake ONO, Tanqueray 10, Konik's tail vodka, Umeshu, absinthe and a raspberry spirt from Capreolus. This was a heady concoction and one that utterly worked with the sake balancing the higher abv of the gin and the raspberry cutting through with its sharpness.

Taste testing Sake ONO

Sake ONO is a sake that demands to be sipped chilled. It's a Junmai Daiginjo sake, so is brewed with rice milled down to 50% of the original size. This not only makes it a premium drink but also enhances the fruity and floral nature of the drink.

We were hit with pineapple and mango on the nose and a long finish of orange and spiced almonds. It has a flavour that lasts and was incredibly smooth but also dry.

At 15% this really should be treated like a wine when drinking — albeit we had smaller quantities in our glass than we would have, say, a white — and having it alone paired nicely with the myriad dishes we had.

Given how well Sale ONO worked on its own and as a cocktail ingredient, this really is one versatile drink and certainly the sort of thing that will help bring sake more into the mainstream.

If you fancy trying a couple of cocktails similar to what we had, then up until 11 May Sticks’n’Sushi will be serving a ‘Sakura Vesper’, The Dorian a 'Session Martini' and Lucky Cat Bishopsgate has a ‘Sukiyaki Western Django’ on its menu — all showcasing sake in the best way possible.

Or head to DrinkONE's website, if you want to try a bottle yourself.

Main image credit: Sake ONO

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