Seasonal Food Now is the season for making Umeshu! June 02, 2018 / by Junko Umeshu (梅酒), Japanese Plum Liqueur, is a very popular sweet sour cordial liqueur made from fresh ume plums which are harvested only in this season. I just received beautiful ume plums I’ve ordered a month before. I love this fruity liquor 😍 You can find it in Japanese restaurants. We like it on the rock or with soda. It is very easy to make so that many families have their own recipes and make ones at home in this early summer season. I find most of Umeshu sold in shops are too sweet for me, so I make it with less sugar. We’ve just made this year’s Umeshu jars with different sugar amount! We will store them one year until they’re ready to be enjoyed. One year waiting? Yes, but it’s worth waiting. Over the ages, the taste deepens. Don’t worry, there are several big jars of Umeshu from different years in my kitchen! You can taste my homemade Umeshu at the classes 😊 If you are interested in making your own, check the recipe I posted. Recipe : Umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur) For those who can not drink alcohol, I also made Ume plum cordial (Ume juice) with no alcohol. The extracted juice with soda is a refreshing summer beverage and also very popular from children to adults! Look forward to tasting my homemade Umeshu and Ume juice! Junko There are so many Japanese dishes and cultures that are not well known outside of Japan and I’m happy to introduce them to you! If you tested any of our recipes feel free to send us a photo and your comments and we will be happy to publish them, even if it wasn't a complete success! :) Seeking the best balance of being free and living a stable life in this busy city, I enjoy kitchen gardening to deepen my connection with nature. Lately, I enjoy traveling to places I’ve never been and dancing Salsa/Kizomba there. Always a traveler at heart. Freelance web/graphic designer. Coffee & chocolate addict.