Sunset Harbor Introduces Frozen Sake Sangria Cocktail – And You Can Make It at Home

Of course you’ve had sangria, and likely you’ve tried sake, but have you ever heard of a frozen sake sangria?

No? Well, they exist, and you can find this highly original take on the traditional Japanese rice wine at Sunset Harbor in East Hampton, but you won’t find it anywhere else on Long Island, or elsewhere, for that matter, according to beverage director and sommelier Grigore Cosolovschi, who masterminded the restaurant’s most popular adult beverage from scratch.

Cosolovschi teamed with the makers of premium WeSake – which is introducing Japan’s national beverage to the masses in cans – to create the drink for the East Hampton waterfront eatery, which revamped its concept this summer by introducing a new menu featuring a contemporary Japanese concept.

Sunset Harbor’s new cocktail uses WeSake’s Junmai DaiGinjo, noted for being crisp, smooth, and easy to drink. The owners of WeSake developed a “friendship and partnership” with one of the oldest sake breweries in Japan to find the right balance that would be accessible to seasoned sake drinkers and newbies all the same; according to WeSake’s website, the product contains only four ingredients: rice, water, koji, and yeast.

“I personally have been passionate about Japanese culture and history since childhood and this was the perfect opportunity to create something new and unique,” Cosolovschi said.

He said he was inspired to find a perfect summer cocktail to pair with Sunset Harbor’s celebrated dishes, which includes favorites like fresh toro sashimi paired with house kimchi, a baked king crab hand roll, miso black cod, and selections of Japanese A5 Wagyu.

“Whenever I create a cocktail, I do a few days, sometimes even longer, of research regarding the country’s culture and traditions, looking at every aspect and choosing the perfect ingredients that would pair together,” said Cosolovschi. “Being also a sommelier, one of the rules of food and wine pairing says, ‘What grows together, goes well together.’ I would argue that same rule can be applied to spirit/cocktail crafting and there are plenty of great examples.”

The more exotic ingredients in the recipe, including hibiscus syrup and UME plum liqueur, are made in-house from scratch, said Cosolovschi.

“This year I was introduced to ‘We Sake’ Junmai DaiGinjo which happened to be the right product we wanted to serve as a by the glass offering, being in a small can with an easy and clean flavor profile, refreshing and floral. This was the best fit as sake is slowly growing in popularity and as a beverage director I was looking for a product that can be enjoyed by both an experienced sake lover and someone who is having their first sip!”

While sake is growing as an American beverage category, the particular combination of exotic ingredients and fruity flavors in Sunset Harbor’s frozen sake sangria is perhaps key to getting more people to explore sake’s ancient flavor profile. Then again, the $10 price tag won’t hurt getting the word out, either.

Sunset Harbor Frozen Sake Sangria Recipe

Ingredients

3 oz ”We Sake” sake
1.5 oz UME plum liqueur
1.5 oz hibiscus syrup (home made)
0.75 oz Magdala orange liqueur
1 oz lime juice
1.5 oz Bacardi Light
1 oz simple syrup

Hibiscus Syrup

Combine water, dehydrated hibiscus flowers, and sugar. Place the mix on a stovetop and bring to a simmer, mixing gently.

Let it simmer for about 20-30 min until about 20-30% of total water volume is evaporated.

Strain all solids from syrup. Cool and reserve in the fridge for the sangria.

After the syrup is ready and cooled down, combine all ingredients together and mix in a blender with lots of ice (this would be in the case you don’t already have a magic “Frozen Machine,” which apparently makes creating the frozen drink of the summer at Sunset Harbor that much more magical!)

Enjoy!