Gone are the days of drinking hot sake out of small, ceramic cups. The rise of luxury sake has revolutionized the way in which we drink it, and has brought sake to a whole new level. Luxury sake, such as shimizu-no-mai, is to be consumed slightly chilled out of a small, white wine glass. Approach luxury sake by using traditional wine tasting techniques: swirl the glass and appreciate the complex aromatics. Next, sip the sake and allow it to coat your mouth before you swallow. As with wine, you must take time with sake in order to grasp all that it has to offer.

Due to its delicate nature, sake ought to be stored in a dark, cool space with a constant temperature. Once opened, sake should be consumed relatively quickly and the remaining contents of the bottle kept refrigerated.