preceding the resurgence in popularity of the martini in the early 2000s, people began using sake as a mixer in cocktails, simultaneous with a larger broadening of the term "martini" to include a wide variety of cocktails. some cocktail purists feel the saketini is an insult to the integrity of the classic gin-vermouth cocktail. others, such as mixologist lucy brennan, approve of the saketini and have adapted and concocted many sake-based cocktail recipes. hiroaki aoki, the founder of benihana restaurants, says in the 2003 book "sake: water from heaven": "if a cocktail made with sake is pleasing to the palate, why should tradition stand in the way of progress?"