Sake Food Pairings I am sure as a sake lover, you might be thinking about what kind of food would pair the best with some of your favourite Japanese Sake. Some of the common sake pairing (or drinking) food would include tatami iwashi (baby sardines), fugu mirin boshi (dried pufferfish), eihire (stingray fin) as well […]

Types of Sake Don’t be intimidated by Japanese sake terms or the different classifications of sake. Here’s an easy guide to help you understand what they mean. Find your favourite type of sake easily with our simple guide. Sake can be split into two main groups: Junmai (pure rice) and alcohol-added sake. Junmai 純米 Junmai […]

Should I warm sake? In Japan, heating up Japanese Sake is called ‘Okan suru’ and Japanese Sake served warm is called ‘Kanzake’. This uniquely Japanese method of heating sake has a long history and which dates back over 2,000 years. You might have already known that Japanese sake can be a very versatile drink. You can serve sake […]

So after knowing what is sake and how is it made in our previous blog, learn more about sake in our second part and learn what is Sake Meter Value (SMV) and rice polishing ratio to better understand your sake labels and to elevate your sake drinking experience. Sake Meter Value (SMV) Did you know […]

What is sake? Sake Barrels at a Japanese Shrine Sake is a Japanese alcoholic drink, made from rice. What we know as sake is also known as nihonshu (日本酒) or seishu (清酒) in Japan and on your sake bottles. So do look out for  “日本酒” or “清酒” next time you are dining out in Japan.  This Japanese alcoholic drink […]

Shochu Guide: Drinking Shochu In our previous blog posts we have talked about some of the bases of shochu (焼酎) such as the difference between sake and shochu and the different types of shochu available. Here, we will show you how to enjoy your shochu to the fullest. Although there are many ways to drink […]

Have you ever wondered why the taste profile of shochu differs from one shochu to another? Shochu, a distilled alcohol, can be made by a wider variety of ingredients. Therefore, it is not surprising that the resulting shochu would be different from each other. Sake is made only from rice, while shochu can be made […]

Many people would have heard and tried sake, but Japanese shochu is still relatively unknown in Singapore. This simple guide will help you to maybe choose your next favourite drink! What is Shochu? Shochu (焼酎) is a traditional Japanese hard liqueur. It is a distilled alcohol, rather similar to vodka, but do not confuse it as […]

There are people who love their beer bottled, whereas some others crave for pints of draft beer. You might have heard it or even said it before, beer is better on tap. Whether or not it is true, it really depends on the person drinking it. Here at Makoto-Ya, we love all kinds of beer! […]

Japanese Rice As an important staple in Japan, it is essential to know how to cook rice properly. A good bowl of Japanese rice should be fluffy and light. When cooked it should be slightly sticky, yet fragrant. Cook the perfect fluffy Japanese Rice with our freshly polished Japanese Rice. Harvested from our own rice fields in Akita, Japan. Our rice is available in three different grades, Akita Komachi, Yume […]

Our rice field in Akita, Japan Japanese Rice in Makoto-Ya Did you know we harvest and grow our own rice from the fields in Akita, Japan? They are imported to Singapore while kept under optimum conditions, preserving the freshness in each grain. Japanese rice is known for its fragrant aroma and fluffy texture. We believe […]

Umeshu (Plum Liqueur) Umeshu, also known as Plum Liqueur, is a Japanese liqueur made with ume plums steeped in liqueur and sugar. It’s a tangy and sweet liqueur with an alcohol content of about 10-15%, depending on the brewery. It became a popular drink in Japan sometime around the 17th century. Its delicate taste made […]

Matcha (Green tea Powder) Matcha is the powdered tea leaves of specially grown and processed green tea leaves. Green tea used for matcha is shade-grown a few weeks before harvest to produce more caffeine and theanine. The shade-grown method turns the leaves a darker shade of green by stimulating an increase in chlorophyll levels. Once […]

Oolong-hai Tea is great, but did you know you can make it better by adding alcohol? Oolong-hai, is alcoholic oolong tea that is popular in many izakaya restaurants. It uses a mild shochu variety into the mix and mugi shochu is usually recommended in order to have a balanced flavour. With a slightly more delicate […]