Sake vs mirin vs cooking sake

Open a Japanese pantry and you'll often find three rice-based bottles side by side: sake, mirin, and cooking sake. They look alike and they're all made from rice, so it's easy to mix them up. But each one has its own job, and knowing the difference makes both cooking and shopping easier.

The short version

	Sake	Mirin (hon mirin)	Mirin-style seasoning	Cooking sake (ryorishu)
Made for	Drinking (and cooking)	Cooking	Cooking	Cooking
Taste	Dry to off-dry, umami	Sweet, rich	Sweet	Savory, often salty
Alcohol	Usually 15 to 16%	Around 14%	Very little	Varies
Where you'll find it	Wine and liquor stores	Japanese and specialty grocers	Most supermarkets	Most supermarkets

The big takeaway: sake is the only one of the three that's made to be sipped from a glass. The others are seasonings, and they're excellent at what they do.

What sake is

Sake is a brewed drink made from rice, water, koji, and yeast. Koji (a mold grown on steamed rice) turns the rice starch into sugar, and yeast turns that sugar into alcohol, both in the same tank. The result is a drink with a soft texture, savory umami, and, in premium styles, fruity or floral aromas. Most sake lands around 15 to 16% ABV. If you want the full picture, start with what sake is and how sake is made.

Sake is also a classic cooking ingredient in Japan. A splash softens fish and meat aromas, adds umami to simmered dishes, and helps sauces taste rounder. Because the alcohol cooks off as it simmers, what's left is mostly flavor.

What mirin is

Mirin is a sweet rice seasoning. True mirin, called hon mirin ("real mirin"), is made by combining steamed glutinous rice (mochigome) and rice koji with a distilled spirit such as shochu, then letting it rest and mature for weeks or months. The koji breaks the rice starch down into sugars, and because the spirit stops yeast from fermenting those sugars into more alcohol, the sweetness stays in the bottle.

That's the key difference from sake. Sake is fermented so the sugar becomes alcohol. Mirin is made so the sugar stays as sugar.

In the kitchen, mirin adds:

• Gentle sweetness that tastes rounder than plain sugar
• Shine and glaze, which is why it's in teriyaki sauce
• Body in dipping sauces, glazes, and simmered dishes

You'll also see bottles labeled mirin-style seasoning or "aji mirin." These are made to give a similar sweet, glossy result, usually with added sweeteners and very little alcohol. They're widely available and easy to cook with. Check the label to see which kind you have, because the sweetness can differ from hon mirin.

What cooking sake is

Cooking sake, or ryorishu, is sake made for recipes. Many cooking sakes have salt added, and some include other seasonings. In Japan, the added salt also means the product is treated as a seasoning rather than a drink, so it can be sold where regular alcohol isn't.

Cooking sake does its job well: it brings sake's umami and aroma-softening power to a dish with a little seasoning already built in. It just isn't meant for the glass. If a recipe calls for cooking sake and you're using one with salt, taste before you add any more salt or soy sauce.

Can you swap them?

Sometimes, with a little adjustment.

Sake for cooking sake. Yes. Use the same amount and season the dish to taste, since drinking sake has no added salt. Many cooks prefer a sake they'd also enjoy drinking, because its flavor carries into the food.

Sake for mirin. Close, if you add sweetness. A common home swap is sake with a little sugar stirred in until it dissolves. Start small and taste, because mirin is noticeably sweet.

Mirin for sake. Only in small amounts. Mirin will make a dish sweeter, so cut back on any other sugar in the recipe.

Cooking sake for drinking. No. It's a seasoning, so keep it in the kitchen.

Can you drink mirin?

Hon mirin has a long history as a sweet drink in Japan, and it's still used in some New Year's traditions. Today, though, almost all mirin is bought and used as a seasoning. Mirin-style seasoning and salted cooking sake are made for cooking only.

Cooking with the can

WESAKE is a Junmai Ginjo made from rice, water, koji, and yeast, and the 180 mL can is a handy size for the kitchen. A splash in a marinade, a pan sauce, or a pot of simmered vegetables brings soft umami without opening a large bottle. Pour the rest into a chilled glass and sip it slowly with the meal you just made. For ideas on what to serve alongside, see our sake and food pairing guide, and for more on how sake compares to other drinks, read sake vs wine.

Quick answers

Is mirin the same as sake? No. Both start with rice and koji, but sake is fermented into a drink, while mirin is made to keep its sweetness for cooking.

Is rice wine the same as sake? "Rice wine" is a loose English label that gets used for sake, mirin, and other rice drinks from across Asia. Sake is brewed more like beer than wine, which we explain in is sake wine, beer, or spirit.

Which one do I buy for drinking? Sake. Look for the grade on the label, like Junmai or Junmai Ginjo, which our guide to types of sake explains.

Curious what a Junmai Ginjo tastes like on its own? Meet the WESAKE can: light and smooth, with a crisp, clean finish, best ice cold.