Sashimi And Drink Pairings: 5 Cocktail And Mocktail Partners For The Japanese Staple

Japanese cuisine is as much about taste and flavour as it is about etiquette and artful sophistication. It comprises food that is simply made yet precisely flavoured and so well crafted that it requires much skill to master. One such Japanese staple that is a combination of such flavour and skill is sashimi. Essentially, sashimi refers to thinly sliced fish or raw seafood that is most often served with a side of soy, wasabi and if served as sushi, with a bit of sticky rice.  

Sashimi is complete with the sweet flavours and slightly oceanic textures of the seafood which is used to prepare this staple. These clear, umami and slightly saline flavours of sashimi go well with a number of different cocktails that have similar crisp and straightforward tasting notes.  

Here is more about some of the sashimi and drink pairings that compliment each other for a blend of the flavour and fresh texture of the fish cuts with crisp and clean cocktail and mocktail blends: 

Salmon Or Sake And Nigori Sake   

Sake or salmon sashimi is one of the most well-known sashimi variations. It is generally orangish and pinkish in colour, carries a subtle sweet taste and is typically served with sticky rice. Rich and fatty in its flavour profile, sake sashimi can be paired with the nigori sake or a sweet sake that is found in Japanese cuisine. The slight fruity nose and mild sweetness of this spirit goes well with the fresh flavours of salmon such that the two come together in a mix of creamy textures that mirror one another. 

Hamachi Or Yellowtail And Sauvignon Blanc  

Quite fatty and firm with a pinkish hue, hamachi has a buttery texture and a very smooth flavour. This young yellowtail fish is sliced thinly, is soft enough to eat but holds firmly when the fish cut is placed on a serving dish. The buttery and subtly sweet flavours of hamachi go well with the fruity and lightly floral bouquet of a quality white such as the sauvignon blanc. Hamachi and white wine come together in a classic pairing of fish with this crisp grape variant. 

Hotate Or Scallops And Dry Champagne   

Complete with an oceanic finish, a whitish hue and soft and sweet flavours, scallops are also served in the form of sashimi in Japanese cuisine. Their slightly chewy but tender texture and mildly sweet flavour goes well with a dry champagne that produces a lot of bubbles. The effervescence of such a sparkling wine is instrumental in highlighting the maritime flavours and texture of the scallop sashimi. 

Ika Or Squid And Citrus Mint Sparkler  

A non-alcoholic mixer that goes well with ika or squid sashimi, the citrus mint sparkler is complete with the sourness and tang coming from lime juice or yuzu coupled with the herby notes and peppery touch of fresh, muddled mint. The textures of tonic water or sparkling water in the drink introduce a fizzy texture which manages to bring out the chewy, sweet flavours of the squid that is thinly sliced and served with a hint of wasabi as an elegant sashimi option. 

Maguro Or Tuna Sashimi And Yuzu Ginger Cooler   

One of the more well-known sashimi variations, maguro or tuna sashimi has a clean and buttery flavour profile with a certain richness and fatty texture. Pairing the maguro sashimi with a non-alcoholic yuzu and ginger cooler brings together the mocktail’s tangy, slightly spicy and acidic notes with the denser flavours of tuna for a well-balanced sashimi and drink pairing.