Umeshu - Japanese plum wine

Introduce

Chef :

YOROKOBI kitchen

Umeshu - Japanese plum wine

Homemade plum wine is super easy to make and amazingly tastes good. You can start drinking Umeshu after it’s been resting for at least 6 months. You need to be a little patient but it is worth waiting!

Ingredient

1 kg

green plum (unripe)

500 g

white rock sugar(crystallized sugar)

1800 ml

distilled spirits called “white liquor” (vodka can be substantiated)

Cooking instructions

* Step 1

To sanitize a glass jar, pour boiling water in the jar, drain well and air dry.

* Step 2

Wash plums gently, remove hulls with a bamboo stick, and dry well with paper towels one by one. Please make sure the plums are dried well otherwise the moisture of plums will cause growing mold in the jar.

* Step 3

I recommend using rock sugar for making plum wine. It takes time to dissolve and that means it helps to extract the flavors from the plums at a slower pace.

* Step 4

To make plum wine, we need distilled spirits at 35% alcohol by volume. In Japan, A kind of distilled liquor called White Liquor is commonly used for plum wine. Vodka can be substitute for white liquor if you cannot find it in your country.

* Step 5

Layer the plums and the sugar alternately in the jar and pour over white liquor.

* Step 6

Put the lid on the jar and store in a cool, dark place. You can start drinking Umeshu after it’s been resting for at least 6 months. You need to be a little patient but it is worth waiting! Give the jar gently shake everyday to mix sugar and the liquor well for the first month. Better to write the date you started on the jar so that you can remember when the plum wine gets drinkable!