The first time I tried sake, it was served piping hot, as was the custom in North American sushi restaurants at the turn of the 21st century. My friends and I clinked our tiny sake cups as we nibbled on pieces of tuna and salmon nigiri. Secretly, however, we wished that we'd stuck with beer.
Several years passed before I decided to give warm sake a second chance. For a lot of people, the words "hot sake" conjure unpleasant memories of hangover-inducing, cheap brews heated to scalding temperatures in order to mask their flaws.
The idea that all good sake should be served chilled caught on as premium brews grew in popularity around the world. But recently, consumers both in Japan and abroad are warming up to hot sake.