Plum Wine or Umeshu is a Japanese liqueur made by steeping fresh Japanese plums (ume) in shochu or other white liquor and sugar. The sweet and sour flavors and fruity aroma make for refreshing highball cocktails and more!
INGREDIENTS
~2.2 pounds of washed green plums, stems removed
~7.5 cups of a distilled spirit with an ABV higher than 35% like shochu or vodka
~1.8 pounds of white rock sugar
Create a layer of plums in the bottom of a 3-4 liter glass jar (like this 3 liter jar or this gallon jar). Cover the plums with a layer of rock sugar. Repeat until you have jarred all of the plums and sugar. Add your spirit of choice. Seal your jar and store in a cool spot out of direct sunlight for one year. Your plum wine is ready to drink after six months, but it's worth waiting a full year to let the flavors develop fully. After a year has passed, remove the plums and use them in baking recipes.
Recipe adapted from Just One Cookbook, photo by Devon Lee.
