Amazake no moto, amazake / amazake base & drink

A strikingly sweet wonder drink made of rice malt.

While today this opaque, white drink is more strongly associated with winter, especially with the New Year's holiday and Hinamatsuri Doll (Girls' Day) Festival on March 3, it used to be a health tonic in summer. Typically served hot in winter and cold in summer, often with ginger juice, this super healthy tonic contains nine essential amino acids and over 100 enzymes. Rich in glucose (20%) and oligosaccharide, it also contains vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B12, pantothenic acid, inositol and biotin). Amazake has been called a “drinkable I.V.,” which shows how nutritional it is.

Amazake is mentioned in Nihonshoki, an early 8th-century history book, and its use goes back hundreds years before the book. This primitive drink is now easily made in a common modern appliance – the rice cooker!