How To Make Hon Mirin

Elderflower Mirin - Tiki Food Lab

What Is Mirin & How To Use It

Mirin is a delicious cooking and finishing wine that adds subtle sweetness, koji-derived enzymes, and umami to a wide-array of recipes.  It has notes of sweet sherry with a light, complex slightly acidic finish.  Traditional uses for mirin include to season rice, make glazes, marinades, and as a pan deglaze when searing foods.  It is particularly delicious when paired with acidic flavors like ginger, yuzu, vinegar, lemon, lime or orange.  In fact it is an essential ingredient in a wide array of popular Japanese sauces such as teriyaki, miso glazes, Sichuan black bean sauce, and various Asian BBQ sauces. 

Many of my recipes include either mirin or sake as the alcohol element.  Alcohol is a great flavor boosting agent because it has the unique ability to bond to both water and fat molecules.[1]  So, the next time you are wondering what your food needs, think about adding some alcohol to sear, marinade or accentuate flavors.  Even better, use Mirin, because it has the additional benefit of enzymes produced by koji during the fermentation process.

What Are The Different Types Of Mirin?

When you are perusing the items in the Asian cooking isle of your local grocery store, you almost certainly will see “Aji Mirin” for sale.  Aji Mirin is a mass produced “mirin” made by adding starch or glucose syrup to alcohol and rice, and is then agitated and pasteurized.  In Japanese, “Aji Mirin” literally means “almost Mirin” or “tastes like Mirin.”  Aji Mirin is not a fermented beverage, and typically uses regular rice, or only trace amounts of Koji during the production process.  It is less expensive and useful for cooking, but less so for finishing/dipping sauces or marinades.

Hon Mirin is the traditional amino fermented[2] version, and is much more subtle and less obviously sweet.  Hon mirin is the product of amino fermentation, because the amylase and protease enzymes from koji are used to act on the starches and sugars to create mirin.  As an amino ferment, it can be conducted in a closed jar, because it is not a bacterial/yeast ferment that creates Co2 during the fermentation process.  Traditionally, Sake Kasu was used to make Hon Mirin.  Sake Kasu is the koji based straining from making sake.  Another traditional method of making Mirin is to use Schochu, which is a Japanese distilled spirit made from either sweet potato (called Imo Sochu), rice (Kome Sochu) or barley (Mugi Sochu).  Sochu is the higher proof cousin of Sake.  However, Sochu is distilled, whereas Sake is brewed in a manner similar to beer.[3]

How To Make Hon Mirin

• 2 Parts Alcohol.  You get some leeway here to use different types of alcohol.  The traditional choice is shochu, if your goa is a traditional Hon Mirin, but shochu can be quite expensive.  The good news is, you can use any alcohol with an ABV in the range of 20-35%.  Another consideration is whether you are using fresh or dry koji.  Lean toward 2.5 parts liquid if using dry koji, because the dry koji will suck up some of the liquid. 

  
  

  • Note on Ratios: If you use a stronger spirit, such as vodka at 40% ABV, you will want to dilute it with high quality spring water or other flavors such as juices, to get down to the 2--35% range.  If your alcohol is too strong, it will inhibit the amino fermentation process.

    
    

  • Experimentation:  Don’t hesitate to experiment with different types of alcohols, liquors and wines.  The results will be quite different and interesting, depending on what you use.  Remember, creativity and variety in flavors are powerful tools in the kitchen!  For example, the batch in the pictures here is made with St. Germain Elderflower Liquor and a bit of vodka to get to about 25% ABV.  You can also experiment with botanicals, herbs and spices.

    
    

  • How to Calculate ABV:  Lets say you want to make Mirin with a sake that is 15% ABV.  Since that is below the 20-35% target, you will want to add some higher proof alcohol, but how much do you need?  Math! But, don’t be scared.

For this example, let’s use vodka, which is 40ABV.  There is a really cool equation called the Pearson’s Square used to calculate relative ABV ratios to get a specific %ABV.  For this calculation, you subtract the target ABV  by the lower %ABV to get the ratio of the lower ABV liquid.  Then you subtract the higher ABV liquid from the target ABV amount to get the ratio of the lower ABV liquid.  Remember “Proof” is a double of the ABV.  Here is an example of the Pearson’s Square Calculation:

Let use Sake at 15%ABV and Vodka at 40%ABV for the formula:

Higher Alcohol ABV (here Vodka) minus Target ABV:         40-30= 10 parts

Target AVV minus Lower Alcohol ABV (here sake):            30-15= 15 parts

So, you could use 10 ounces Vodka and 15 ounces Sake or you could scale it up and use 20 ounces Vodka and 30 ounces Sake to get a combined ABV of 30.  Hopefully that takes the pain out of the math!

• 1 Part Koji.  See note above regarding dry versus fresh Koji.

• 1 Part Cooked Rice

• Get creative!  You can add herbs, pine needles, spices, fruit, veggies, coconut, pandan, or whatever you think will make it interesting over time.  As for timing, you can add the flavor agents in the beginning, or as a “tincture” type addition after several months, depending if you want the flavor to also be transformed by the koji, or if you want it to be more forward and readily identifiable.

  
  

• Put in closed container.  Mirin is an amino ferment and not a bacterial ferment, so it is an anerobic process (ie: does not need oxygen).  Thus, you ferment Mirin in a sealed closed container.

• Shakey-Shakey.  Shake the mirin about once per day for the first 3-4 weeks, to make sure it stays mixed and balanced.  You can shake it less over time – for example about once per week after the first 3-4 weeks. You will see the yellow color develop over time and turning a rich auburn as it matures.

  
  

Store out of direct sunlight – and ferment for 3 months minimum to allow flavor and umami development.  Even better, ferment it for a year+ to get really complex Hon Mirin.  The key is to make enough so you can use some, and let the rest go longer to explore the flavor maturation and transformation process. Enjoy!

[1] See, for example, Chiou, et al, “Alcohols dehydrate lipid membranes: an infrared study on hydrogen bonding” Biochimica et Biophysica Acta – Biomembranes, 10/5/92.

[2] An “amino ferment” is a ferment using koji, which acts on amino acids and creates beneficial enzymes including amylase and protease.

[3] “Sake vs. Sochu: Comparing Japan’s Iconic Alcoholic Beverages” https://www.sakeschoolofamerica.com/news/sake-vs-shochu-comparing-japans-iconic-alcoholic-beverages/

By: Chef Ernie Foundas - 7/13/26