The long wait begins

I was first introduced to umeshu - plum wine - when I lived in Japan 15 years ago.  It was love at first taste.  The liquor envelops your mouth with a sweet coating that allows you to taste the fruit much more than the alcohol.  It doesn't typically burn going down.  And yet, it lingers on your lips so you can taste it again after you swallow.  I enjoy it on the rocks, neat, and with club soda. 

Over the years I have found certain brands that I like more than others.  But nothing really compares to what we make at home.  We started making it a few years ago with the Italian plums from the tree in our yard in the US.  It is actually really simple to make - take immature plums (green), rock sugar, and white alcohol.  Mix and let sit for 6+ months. 

Now that we're in Japan, we can use the "right" plums.  "Right" only refers to round, otherwise there are many varieties to choose from.  It is so interesting to see big bags of immature plums for sale in stores right now.  I even saw some bags in the department store market today. 

1 kg of plums (2.2 lbs)

Finding the crystal sugar can be tough in the US.  The secret is to look at Asian grocery stores.  You can use the brown crystals or the white.  It will change the flavor of the finished product.  I prefer the brown as it is a more complex flavor, but we usually mix brown and white.

500  grams of crystal sugar (1.1 lbs)

The liquor choice is actually the least important ingredient.  You don't want anything too nice or expensive because the plums are just going to change the flavor and feel of the liquor.  A liquor with any flavor will change the final taste of the umeshu.  We used cheap vodka in the US so we could have a more intense plum flavor.  In Japan, we get really cheap white liquor in a box!

1.8 Liters (60 oz)

The hardest part is to leave it alone (usually in the back of your pantry or a closet) for 6+ months.  Some of the best umeshu I ever tasted was a homemade umeshu that was 2 years old!

Add 1/3 of the plums and then 1/3 of the sugar

Repeat until you have added all the plums and sugar

Add the alcohol and then WAIT!

If you are so inclined, I highly recommend trying to make umeshu.  It is totally worth the tiny bit of effort and closet space.


***I provided the basic ratio of ingredients for umeshu - 1 kg plums, 500 g sugar, and 1.8 L alcohol.  Stick with these and you won't go wrong.  After trying it out, then you can experiment to find your perfect ratios.  For example, the first time we made umeshu ourselves, we only used white sugar.  After experimenting we found we preferred the taste of white and brown combined.***