noun
mirin; sweet cooking rice wine
A sweet, low-alcohol rice wine used exclusively as a cooking ingredient in Japanese cuisine. It adds sweetness, luster, and depth to dishes.
照り焼きのたれにみりんを加えると、照りがよくなる。
Adding mirin to teriyaki sauce gives it a nice glaze.
この煮物には、砂糖の代わりにみりんを使っています。
For this simmered dish, I use mirin instead of sugar.
料理酒 is a general cooking sake with higher alcohol content and salt added to make it undrinkable, while みりん is a sweet, low-alcohol condiment used for its sugar content and glaze.
酒 refers to alcoholic beverages in general, including drinking sake, whereas みりん is a sweet cooking ingredient not meant for drinking.
The word みりん is of uncertain origin. It may be derived from a contraction of 味 (mi, 'taste') and 淋 (rin, possibly related to 'sweet' or 'mellow'), but the exact derivation is unclear. The kanji forms 味醂 and 味淋 are ateji.