How to Make Ume Shu (Japanese Plum Wine)
Table of Contents
First Encounter with Homemade Umeshu (Japanese Plum Wne)
At the grocery stores I liked to shop at in the middle of May suddenly one area was stacked with large glass jars, rock sugar, and some pretty hard alcohols. There seemed to be no connection to me at all between these different elements. So I asked around because some the grocery stores’ prime space was dedicated to this. Then it was explained to me that it was for Umeshu. These weren’t just randomly associated sales items, these were ingredients for some homemade alcoholic drinks! It turns out the instructions for making a wide variety of these fruit based alcoholic drinks were in the instructions in the large glass containers. After looking around a bit I found the immature green plums in a corner of the fruit area. My adventures in making Umeshu were about to begin.
Materials and Ingredients
- 4L Jar
- 1 kg Uripened Plums
- 500 g Rock Sugar or 350 g Honey
- 1.8 L White Liquor or Brandy (Other Hard Alcohols like Vodka could be OK)
How to Make Japanese Plum Wine / Umeshu
Finishing Touches
It is possible to drink the Japanese Plum Wine / Ume Shu after three months. However, it is suggested that one should wait until at least six months have passed. The old plums can be kept in for about two years, then discarded or eaten outright. I have a jar where they had been in so long that they had completely disolved! Only the plum stones remained. It can be drunk straight, but I prefer to mix half and half with tonic water or tansan (a Japanese sparking water). Enjoy!
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