Ways to serve the can: straight, on ice, highball, or shared

A can of sake is about as easy as sake gets. There's no bottle to finish, no special flask, and no rules about which cup to use. WESAKE is a Junmai Ginjo in a 180 mL can (about 6 fl oz), and there are four simple ways we like to serve it. All of them start in the same place: a cold can.

Start cold

Whatever you do next, chill the can first. WESAKE is a light, aromatic Junmai Ginjo, and styles like this taste their best chilled, roughly 41 to 50°F (5 to 10°C). That's straight out of the fridge. Cold keeps the finish crisp and the flavors bright.

A few practical tips:

• Fridge, not freezer. A can left in the freezer can freeze and burst. A few hours in the fridge is all it needs.
• Bring a cooler. Heading to a picnic, a beach, or a friend's place? Pack cans in a cooler with ice so they arrive cold.
• Quick chill. Short on time? A bucket of ice and water chills a can much faster than ice alone.

For the full picture on serving temperatures, read should sake be served hot or cold.

1. Straight, from the can or a glass

The simplest serve is the one the can was made for. Open it and sip. It's the easiest way to bring sake to places a bottle doesn't usually go: a rooftop, a concert, a camping trip, a picnic blanket.

On the can you'll taste a light, smooth sake with soft umami and a crisp, clean finish. "Dry and light" is printed right on the label. Take your time with it. A can of WESAKE holds about 1.2 US standard drinks, so it's a drink to sip and enjoy, the same way you'd enjoy a glass of wine. See how strong is sake for how that compares to other drinks.

Or pour it into a glass

Pouring the can into a glass changes the experience more than you might expect. A glass lets the aroma reach your nose, so you pick up more of the fruit and rice notes. It also looks good on the table.

Any of these work:

Glass	Why it works
Small wine glass	Gathers the aroma, easy to hold
Tumbler or rocks glass	Casual, sturdy, good with ice
Small sake cup	Traditional, nice for sharing

There's no wrong choice. If you want to go deeper, we cover glass shapes in the best glass for sake.

2. Over ice

On a hot day, pour the can over ice in a rocks glass. The ice keeps the sake very cold and softens it a little as it melts, which makes it even more refreshing. Use a few large cubes rather than lots of small ones, so the sake stays cold without getting watery too fast.

This is a relaxed way to sip slowly through an afternoon. When the ice melts, the drink gets a touch lighter, so it naturally slows the pace. Read more in sake on the rocks.

3. In a highball

A sake highball is sake plus sparkling water over ice. It's tall, cool, and easy.

What you need

• Half a can of WESAKE (about 3 fl oz or 90 mL)
• About 3 fl oz (90 mL) chilled soda water
• Ice
• A lemon or lime wedge, or a thin slice of cucumber

How to make it

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Pour in the sake.
3. Top with soda water and stir gently once.
4. Add the citrus or cucumber.

Using half a can per glass makes two highballs from one can, which is a nice way to share. For more variations and ratios, see our sake highball guide, or try a sake spritz if you like something a little more aromatic.

4. Split between two glasses

Our favorite way to share is the simplest: one can, two glasses. Pour about 3 fl oz (90 mL) into each small glass and enjoy it with food. It's a great size for a first taste if a friend is new to sake, and it pairs well with dinner.

Sharing a can also fits how sake has always been enjoyed in Japan, poured for each other at the table. If you'd like to know the customs, read about sake etiquette. For food ideas, our sake food pairing guide is a good place to start: sushi, salads, fried chicken, and salty snacks all work well.

What we don't recommend

• Heating the can. Don't put a can on a stove or in a microwave. WESAKE is a Junmai Ginjo and it's made to be served cold anyway.
• Leaving it open for days. Once a can is open, it's best enjoyed that day. Unlike a bottle, there's no way to reseal it. Learn more in how long does sake last.
• Rushing it. Every serve here is made for sipping. Have it with food, keep water on the table, and enjoy it at an easy pace.

Quick guide

Serve	How	Best for
Straight	Cold can, sip	Rooftops, picnics, travel
In a glass	Pour into a wine glass or tumbler	Dinner, more aroma
Over ice	Large cubes, rocks glass	Hot days, slow sipping
Highball	Half a can, soda, ice, citrus	Tall and refreshing
Split	3 fl oz each, two glasses	Sharing, tasting, food

Want to see what's in the can? Find the full specs, from Gohyakumangoku rice polished to 60% to the brewery in Itoigawa, Niigata, on our sake page.