Japanese Alcoholic Beverages

Japanese alcohol has travelled remarkably well, and this collection brings together the drinks worth knowing: sake from small bottles to full-size bottles, the big Japanese lagers, and the canned chuhai that fill Tokyo's convenience store fridges.

Sake is the place to start exploring. A standard junmai is smooth, lightly fruity and far more food-friendly than its reputation suggests — serve it chilled with sushi, or gently warm in winter. Nigori sake, cloudy and lightly sweet from the rice lees, is the beginner-friendly style, and the yuzu-infused bottles make a lovely aperitif. If you are new to sake, buy a small bottle first and find your style.

The beers are the easy wins: Sapporo and Kirin Ichiban are crisp, clean lagers brewed for food, and Kirin's first-press method gives it a notably smooth finish. Then there is chuhai — shochu highballs in a can, such as Suntory's -196 lemon and grapefruit cans. Low in fuss, high in drinkability, and ideal for a Friday night.

Japanese alcohol is available to over-18s only. Everything is sent from our Manchester store, with free UK delivery on orders over £75.