umeshu

Plum Wine or Umeshu is a Japanese liqueur made by steeping fresh Japanese plum (ume) in shochu/white liquor and sugar.  The sweet and sour flavors with fruity aroma is very appealing and you can make many kinds of drinks with it!  Inspired by the Japanese drama – Midnight Diner.

Plum Wine

2.2 lb green ume plums ((2.2 lb))

1.8 lb white rock sugar ((1.8 lb))

1.8 lb green ume plums ((1.8 lb))

1.5 lb white rock sugar ((1.5 lb))

shochu ((need entire 2 bottles, no leftover))

Gather all the ingredients. You will need a 4-L glass jar (you can buy in a Japanese or Korean grocery store).

Rinse the jar thoroughly with soap and hot water and wipe with a clean towel. While the jar is still hot, pour boiling water and shake to clean and drain. Air dry until completely dry.  Damp the clean towel with shochu (or your choice of liquor) and wipe inside the jar.

Wash and dry the plums thoroughly.

Remove all the stem ends from the plums with a bamboo skewer or tooth pick. Discard the plums with any brown or blemished spots.

Measure the weight for rock sugar. I recommend the sugar amount to be between the half weight of the plums (1.1 lb or 500 g) to equal weight (2.2 lb or 1 kg). You just have to try it out to find out your liking (which you will find out after a year). I like to use 800 g. The best part is that it’s easy to remember too, 1 kg plums, 800 g sugar, and 1.8 L liquor.

In the clean jar, put the plums in a single layer. Then cover the plums with rock sugar.

Then put the plums in a single layer again, followed by sugar. Repeat this process until you’re done with the plums and sugar.

Pour 1.8 L of your choice of liquor. This bottle of shochu is 750 ml, so you’ll need 2 bottles and an additional 300 ml. If you have leftover shochu, you can make this Yuzu cocktail.

After pouring shochu, it looks like this.

Seal, write today&#039;s date on the jar, and store in a cool, dark place (no refrigerator). See you in a year!  (You can start drinking from 6 months but I recommend to wait for a whole year.)

Remove the plums from the jar and use them for other recipes. You can leave them in the jar for 2-3 years as long as you use green plum (firm and not ripen) and 35% alcohol. (the liquid in the jar is a bit less in the photo because I had to pour some out for filming the video)

1 Year Later...

You can make Plum Jam by cooking the plum and sugar (spread on toast, add in yogurt, make gelatin dessert), or bake a cake with it, make cocktails with crushed plums, or use in savory dishes.

What should we do with the used plums?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSoyaXt6eR8

Plum Wine or Umeshu (梅酒) is a Japanese plum infused alcohol, a delightfully refreshing drink served straight, on the rocks, bubbly with fizzy water or even hot.

RECIPE starts ▶ 01:20

PRINT RECIPE ▶ http://bit.ly/PlumWine

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 0 min
Total Time:  1 year and more
Servings: 4L
 
Ingredients:

1 kg (2.2 lb) green plums 
800 g (1.8 lb) white rock sugar 
1.8 L (7.5 cups) shochu (Use vodka, Japanese “white liquor”, or any distilled spirit/liquor above 35% ABV "alcohol by volume")

Instructions with step-by-step pics ▶ http://bit.ly/PlumWine


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How to Make homemade JAPANESE PLUM WINE (Umeshu) 梅酒の作り方 (レシピ)

A refreshing and bold cocktail honouring the Japanese love for the whiskey highball, this variation features whisky, umeshu, soda, and a little ginger.

Ume Highball

oz whisky

oz umeshu

tsp ginger juice

3.5 oz soda (chilled)

ginger (thinly sliced, to garnish)

Prepare the ginger juice by grating a portion of fresh ginger and squeezing/straining out the juice.

Fill a tall glass with ice (I like a nice crushed ice here, but it does tend to melt fast - use large pieces if you're looking for a slow sipper).&nbsp; Combine the whisky, umeshu, and ginger in a small glass or cocktail shaker and pour down the side of the glass (rather than over the ice itself).

Top with soda, once again pouring down the side of the glass.&nbsp; Stir gently and garnish with a ribbon of thinly sliced ginger.&nbsp; Serve immediately.

A wonderful and unique liqueur made with small green (unripe) ume or apricot fruits.  The only hard part is waiting for it!Includes variations for different alcohol bases, including a substitute for shochu.

Umeshu (Japanese 'Plum' Liqueur)

apricots

250 g rock sugar

Thoroughly clean green ume or apricots and remove any bad spots with a sharp knife.  Make sure to remove any bits of stem.  Try not to expose the pits - discard any fruits that need that much trimming.

Transfer the fruit to a clean jar. Add the sugar, then cover the mixture with shochu (or with the vodka/sake combination - see note).

Shake the container gently to distribute the sugar and help it begin dissolving.  Leave for 6 months (or longer), gently shake the mixture ever few days during the first week or two.

Pour the finished liqueur through a filter to strain out any solids, then bottle.  The finished umeshu can be consumed immediately or further aged in bottles.

Make your own apricot liqueur with just 3 ingredients! Fresh, sweet, and fruity, this liqueur has a flavor comparable to Japanese Umeshu.

Apricot Liqueur

sugar (or light brown sugar)

vodka or rice wine ( it should be about 30% alcohol)

Start by placing your apricots in a large bowl. Cover with water and let them soak for 30-50 minutes. This step helps remove some of the pesticide residues.

Drain them. Drain the apricots well and transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper towels. Using your hands or a toothpick, remove the stems from the apricots and discard them.

Prepare the apricots

Place the rock sugar in a clean glass container. You can use one 33-ounce (1L) glass jar.

Add the apricots to the jar. Pour the liquor over the apricots and close the jar.

Let the liqueur steep in a dark and cool place for at least 3 months before enjoying it. Afterward, you can filter the liqueur, discard the apricots, and transfer the liquid to a clean glass bottle.

Assemble

My family love Umeshu. So I just tried this recipe to see if it tastes close to the one we bought from the stores. To my surprise it tasted good. And was much cheaper than buying. Thank you.

Thank you for sharing this recipe.  Just bottled mine using peaches.  Can we add the stones from the peaches to the mixture?  Will this make it a bit sour?

Just strained and bottled it ready for tomorrow night's bonfire party and it tastes lush!!
Thank you for the recipe.

I have just created my Christmas liquor. Fingers crossed 🤞 it will taste divine. Definitely keep you informed how it turned out. Thank you for your recipe!

Top 4 umeshu recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Plum Wine

Ume Highball

Umeshu (Japanese 'Plum' Liqueur)

Apricot Liqueur

Top 4 umeshu recipes from across the web

The most viewed umeshu recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Plum Wine

Ume Highball

Umeshu (Japanese 'Plum' Liqueur)

Apricot Liqueur

The most viewed umeshu recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine