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Was nihonshu (what English refers to as "sake") always called nihonshu, or was
it only called that once western alcoholic beverages were introduced to Japan?
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2011-08-08T12:45:19.093
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etymology
Was sake always called nihonshu?
The 日本国語大辞典's earliest cite for 日本酒 (nihonshu) is 1886, in Tsubouchi Shoyo's
内地雑居 未来之夢, which is to judge from the title a book about foreigners in Japan.
I'd say the chances are good that 日本酒 (nihonshu) is a recent coinage, and
before that, the drink was simply called 酒 (sake).

Incidentally, again according to the 日本国語大辞典, the word 葡萄酒 (budōshu) for
"[grape] wine" has been around for at least 500 years.
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2011-08-08T13:51:28.917
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2011-08-09T01:58:00.420
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As mentioned above, all alcohol in Japan is 酒 (sake). When it is completely
unambiguous, that word is sufficient to convey which form of alcohol you
desire.

If you go into a London pub and say, "Give me a drink," you will likely get a
pint of bitter. If you go into an inn in Dublin, you may just as likely get a
shot of whisky. If you want to be unambiguous, you specify what you want.

For the record, in decades of visiting and living in Japan, I have never heard
anybody order "sake" in a restaurant or pub. On the other hand, "sake" is
often used to represent all alcohol, as in a store: "酒はどこですか。", or "Where is
your alcohol?"
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