I recently had the pleasure of attending a sake tasting in the Food Network Kitchens hosted by Timothy Sullivan, a " Sake Samurai" and founder of UrbanSake.com. I think I was likely the least educated about sake at the table -- I was a total sake virgin. Thankfully, Timothy had some great takeaways to make sake more approachable for someone like me.

When Timothy asked if we thought sake was more comparable to beer, wine or spirits, I voted for wine. But it turns out, sake is more like beer. Both beer and sake are made from fermented grains and need a brewing process to convert starch to sugar (whereas with wine, the sugar comes from the grapes). In the case of sake, the grain used happens to be rice.

Well, this tip doesn't exactly make sake seem that approachable. But Timothy's grid actually demystifies sake and will help you understand how to order it in a restaurant.