Tamagozake Recipe: Hot Japanese Egg Sake

Ingredients

6 oz sake junmai or nigorie.g. Gekkeikan · Dassai · Hakutsuru · Ozeki
1 egg fresh, at room temperature
½ oz honey or simple syrup or brown sugar syrup

Garnish: No garnish · Ice: Served up, no ice

Method

Heat the sake gently in a small saucepan until it is hot and steaming but not boiling, then take it off the heat.
In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg with the honey until smooth.
Pour the hot sake into the egg in a thin stream, whisking constantly so the egg does not scramble.
Strain through a fine sieve into a warm mug.
Serve at once while it is hot.

Watch it made

Tamagozake

Taste

Velvety and custard-like with sweet honey, a savory rice note from the sake and gentle warmth. Mild in alcohol after heating.

History and origin

Tamagozake, literally "egg sake", is a traditional Japanese home drink of heated sake, egg and sugar or honey. It belongs to Japanese folk custom rather than to bar culture, and it has long been made at home in cold weather, especially when someone feels unwell and wants something warm before bed.

The principle is the same as in European egg drinks such as eggnog or the flip: a whole egg is gently cooked by hot alcohol and whisked into a smooth, rich drink. Heating also drives off part of the alcohol, so the result is gentler than a glass of sake.

Recipes vary from family to family; some use sugar instead of honey, others add grated ginger.

Bartender tips

Let the sake cool for half a minute after heating; if it is too hot the egg curdles.
Whisk the egg really smooth first; any unbeaten egg white turns into strands.
A little grated fresh ginger or a pinch of cinnamon adds warmth.

Variations

With ginger: Add a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger to the egg mixture for a spicier drink.
Sugar version: Replace the honey with 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar, as in many Japanese home recipes.