Blue sake launched in Japan

Sato Sake Brewery has recently created a brand new blue sake named Seilan made with the flowers of ‘butterfly peas’.

Seilan is produced by Sato Sake Brewery in the city of Nagahama in Shiga Prefecture. Brewed with Yamada Nishiki rice from the region, the product is a Ginjo sake with a rice polishing rate of 60%. The sake is then infused with butterfly pea flowers to give it the highly sought-after indigo hue.

The sake also has colour changing properties meaning it can also be used in the classic sake cocktail Samurai Rock with the addition of lemon juice. Upon adding an acidic medium, the colour of the sake will change from blue to purple.

According to the winery, butterfly pea flowers have a neutral flavour and so it will not affect the original profile of the sake. On the other hand, the sake is rather approachable and easy drinking.

Clitoria ternatea, also known as butterfly pea or blue pea among other names, is a plant common to Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Its flowers have long been used in Asian cuisine to add colour to dishes and can be made into a caffeine-free herbal tea.