It’s easy to make my recipe for Plum Wine or Umeshu (梅酒) at home with fresh Japanese plums (ume) steeped in shochu/white liquor and sugar. The liqueur is delicious in mixed drinks thanks to its appealing fruity aroma and sweet and tart flavor. Inspired by the Japanese drama Midnight Diner.
It’s the Japanese plum (ume) season! I remember my grandma made plum wine or umeshu (梅酒) and stored it in the cool dark underground storage of her kitchen until they’re ready to be enjoyed. There were several big jars of umeshu from different years.
This sweet alcoholic drink was featured on the popular Japanese TV program called “Shinya Shokudo (深夜食堂)” or “Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories” which is available on Netflix.
Midnight Diner features dishes that are more representative of Japanese home-cooked recipes that you might not have seen in your local Japanese restaurants. “Sour Plum & Plum Wine” episode is Season 1, Episode 6 on Netflix.
Table of contents
What is Umeshu (Plum Wine)
From mid-May to early June, it’s ume (Japanese plum) season here in California. During this short period of time when fresh ume is available, the Japanese make plum wine, or what we call Umeshu (梅酒) with still unripe and green plums.
I’m not much of a drinker, but I do enjoy drinking homemade umeshu from time to time. Have you tried it before? If you visited Japan and stayed at a ryokan (Japanese-style inn), you might have tried this drink before your kaiseki meal (懐石料理) as an aperitif, or Shokuzen-shu (食前酒).
It’s SUPER easy to make this homemade fruit wine, in less than 15 minutes! Okay, I also should mention that you have to wait for at least 6 months (1 year is recommended) before you enjoy your homemade plum wine… but it’s SO worth it. Plus you get to share homemade umeshu with your guests when they come over. Let’s make it with me this year (share your photo with #justonecookbook on Instagram) so we can celebrate and enjoy ourselves together at this time next year! You and me!
3 Ingredients to Make Umeshu at Home
It’s just 3 simple ingredients to make umeshu at home. You can get all these ingredients at Japanese grocery stores. If they carry green plums, they also know that you’ll need the special rock sugar, liquor, and a glass jar.
1. Green Ume Plums
You have to use these tart and sour green plums to make the plum wine and not any other types of plums you see in the store. Both Japanese and Korean grocery stores sell these plums during this season, so keep an eye on these plums around early to mid-May.
These raw green plums are not edible as they are too tart and bitter (also if you eat too many of them, it is said you’ll likely have a stomachache). We only take the extract of the fruits by fermenting them with lots of sugar or salt.
Where to Get Ume Plums
You have to use tart, sour, and firm green ume plums to make the syrup and not any other types of plums you see in the store. Both Japanese and Korean grocery stores sell these plums around early to mid-May.
My friend John will be offering ume fruit again this year and has scaled back to local sales only. If you are in the SF Bay Area, please write to: fortheloveofume@gmail.com. He will be harvesting ume beginning April 30, 2023. Fruit will be sold with a 10-pound minimum.
You can also find them at specialty fruit producers online.
- Nicholas Family Farms (Text or call Penny at 559-393-3009)
- Good Eggs (SF Bay Area)
- GreatPlentifulShopCA (They also sell semi-ripe ones)
Substitute Ume
- Turkish sour plums – A reader in Europe got them from a Turkish market and used them in this recipe. He said his umeshu tasted as good as the one he had in Japan!
2. White Rock Sugar/Candy
Instead of regular white sugar, we use white rock sugar/candy to make plum wine. Rock sugar takes time to dissolve, which helps to extract the flavors and fragrance from the plums at a slower pace. You can buy it on Amazon if your local Japanese/Asian grocery stores don’t carry it. You could also use white granulated sugar but remember that it’ll not taste as good. I would encourage you to find rock sugar as you invest your time (once a year) to make this drink.
3. Distilled Spirits/Liquor
To make plum wine, we need neutral, colorless, near-flavorless distilled spirits/liquor such as shochu (焼酎) and vodka. Make sure it is at least 35% ABV (alcohol by volume) or 70 proof. The plum wine could become spoiled when alcohol percentage go down being diluted by the fruit juice from the plum.
In Japan, we have a liquor called “White Liquor” (ホワイトリカー), which we use for making plum wine or fruit wine. If you can’t find it, don’t sweat it and use shochu or vodka.
Shochu is a Japanese distilled beverage with less than 45% by alcohol by volume. It’s typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar.
How About Glass Jar?
You can get this on Amazon or Japanese grocery stores during the green plum season.
How To Enjoy Umeshu
After a year, you can finally get to enjoy your plum wine. The flavor and fragrance of the plum wine ripen as it ages, so make sure to store in a cool, dark place for years to come! You might want to start making two batches if you can’t stop drinking it. 😉
Umeshu can be served at different temperatures; chilled or with ice, room temperature, or even hot in the winter.
- Umeshu On the Rocks (梅酒ロック): Put a big ice cube in a glass and pour the plum wine.
- Umeshu Sour (梅酒サワー): Mix the plum wine with ume-flavor shochu and soda water.
- Umeshu Tonic (梅酒トニック) Mix 30 ml plum wine with 90 ml tonic water.
- Umeshu Soda (梅酒ソーダ割り): Mix one part plum wine with one part carbonated water.
- Umeshu Oyuwari (梅酒お湯割り): Mix one part plum wine with one part warm water.
- Umeshu Ochawari (梅酒お茶割り): Mixed one part plum wine with one part hot/cold black or green tea.
Non-Alcoholic Ume Syrup
You can enjoy making ume drinks without alcohol. My kids and I love making Ume Cider (梅サイダー) in the summer months. Make this Ume Plum Syrup and store it in the pantry to enjoy later.
One Year Umeshu Diary
What To Do with the Spent Plums in the Umeshu?
After 12 months of making delicious plum wine, the plums are ready to retire. Your plums did a tremendous job making your delicious plum wine for a year. Now that their job is done, it doesn’t mean it’s time to toss them away. This amazing stone fruit is the fruit that never stops giving.
You can totally eat the ume plums from the wine! Serve them with your plum wine so you can nibble them while you drink, but if you’re looking into other ways to utilize those used plums, here are some ideas on how to consume them.
- Make jams for your breakfast toasts, yogurt, gelatin dessert
- Bake a cake with plums (just like other fruit cakes)
- Make cocktails with crushed plums
- Use in savory dishes
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Plum Wine (Umeshu)
Video
Ingredients
- 2.2 lb green ume plums
- 1.8 lb white rock sugar
- 7½ cups shochu (3 750-ml bottles with 450 ml leftover; or substitute vodka, Japanese “white liquor,” or any distilled spirit/liquor above 35% ABV “alcohol by volume“)
For Version B with 2 Shochu Bottles—750 ml x 2 and a 3-L glass jar (optional)
- 1.8 lb green ume plums
- 1.5 lb white rock sugar
- 6.3 cups shochu (2 bottles with no leftover)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. You will need a 4-L glass jar (you can buy one in a Japanese or Korean grocery store).
- Rinse the jar thoroughly with soap and hot water and wipe dry with a clean towel. Dampen the clean towel with shochu (or your choice of liquor) and wipe inside the jar.
- Wash and dry 2.2 lb green ume plums thoroughly. (Use 1.8 lb green ume plums for version B.)
- Remove all the stem from the plums with a bamboo skewer or toothpick. Discard any plums with brown or blemished spots.
- Measure 1.8 lb white rock sugar (or 1.5 lb white rock sugar for version B). I recommend a sugar amount of between half the weight of the plums (1.1 lb, 500 g) to equal the weight (2.2 lb, 1 kg). You just have to try it out to learn your preference (which you will find out after a year). For one batch, I like to use 800 g. The best part is that it’s easy to remember, too—1 kg plums, 800 g sugar, and 1.8 L liquor per batch.
- In the clean jar, put the plums in a single layer. Then, cover the plums with a layer of rock sugar.
- Then, add more plums in a single layer again, followed by the rock sugar. Repeat this process until you’re done with the plums and sugar.
- Pour 7½ cups shochu or your choice of liquor (or 6.3 cups shochu for version B). This bottle of shochu is 750 ml, so you’ll need 2 bottles plus an additional 300 ml. If you have leftover shochu, you can make a yuzu cocktail.
- After pouring the shochu, it looks like this.
- Seal, write today‘s date on the jar, and store in a cool, dark place (not in the refrigerator) for 365 days. See you in a year! You can start drinking from 6 months, but I recommend to wait for a whole year.
1 Year Later…
- Remove the plums from the jar and use them for other recipes. You can leave them in the jar for 2–3 years as long as you used green plums (firm and not ripened) and 35% alcohol. (The liquid in the jar is a bit less in the photo because I had to pour some out for filming the video.)
To Use the Spent Plums
- You can make Plum Jam by cooking the plum and sugar. Spread it on toast, add in yogurt, make a gelatin dessert. Or you can bake a cake with the spent plums, make cocktails with crushed plums, or use them in savory dishes.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on May 25, 2017. The video and new images are added to the post in May 2018.
Hi Nami,
Thanks for the recipe! I started my first concoction in 2020, and this year will be my third batch and am feeling a little adventurous. Would you recommend pairing the ume with any other type of fruit – like Yuzu? I’m just wondering what could go well into the jar with the ume, or would you rather a pure ume-shu?
Last year i did experiment using half Honey half Rock Sugar, instead of 100% Rock Sugar and it did indeed go pretty well! There was a different kind of sweet taste to the umeshu and i dare say i liked it better.
Kanpai!
Hi Kev! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We know this can be made using different fruit but have never added the other type of fruit to this recipe before and are not sure how the outcome will be.
Another option is to use different types of alcohol such as whisky instead of shochu, add more sure or use brown sugar, honey, etc. So much fun to experiment with! Thank you very much for sharing your experience.🥂
Can I reuse the ume plum again after 1 year to make new umeshu?
Hi Stan! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s post!
The used Ume plum can not be reused to make Umeshu, but you can make Plum Jam or Ume Plum Compote.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/plum-jam/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/ume-plum-compote/
We hope this helps!
Do you have any savoury recipes for the ume instead of making jam?
Hi Rebecca! We do not have savory recipes using used Ume, but you can add it to cook meat or fish. Or you can mince them and add them to fried rice etc.
We hope this helps!
I was looking for the link on your website to contact the person who sold plums last year.
My plum wine turned out amazing and I wanted to to write him and ask if he was going to sell them again this year. I was Loki g and I didn’t know if the link had been removed(since it’s already mid April)
Hi Erin! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We are so happy to hear John’s plums turned out very well for you.
Unfortunately, he is not taking orders this year due to his move. But Nami will make sure to share the contact info in the newsletter when his business resumes.
Thank you very much for your kind support!
I just tasted my first umeshu, that I started last May. Oishii!!!
The plums are still very crispy, compared with the soft plume in commercial Choya brand umeshu. Did I do something wrong? Will they soften if I wait longer?
Thank you Nami-san!!!!
Hi Janet! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed homemade Plum Wine!
It depends on the plums, some might tune out very crispy, and it is normal. If you would like to make it softer, we recommend taking it out from the jar, then use this recipe:https://www.justonecookbook.com/ume-plum-compote/
We hope this helps!
Do you think I could add more plums into the bottle after 6 months? I tasted and the plum flavor is not as strong like I wanted to.
Hi Mint! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We recommend waiting for a few more months to taste again. It depends on the weather and temperature the process takes longer.
Here in San Fransisco, we usually wait for one year. The more you wait, the flavor comes out stronger.😉
We hope this helps!
Im just wondering for my next batch. Could I try adding more ume than the recipe called for? Will it effect anything?
Hi Mint! Sure, you can add more Ume if you like!
However, the balance of Ume and sugar will be different, and it will affect the sweetness of the Plum wine and the amount of extracted flavor. Some years the Ume itself has more flavor than other years, so you have to try and see how it goes.😉
Thanks a lot for this recipe Nami!
Being in Australia getting access to ume plums and shochu was rather impossible so instead I opted for domestic raw plums, palm sugar and cheap brandy. After a years worth of ageing it came out incredibly rich. A true after dinner sipper but it did also have some incredibly delicate notes that I believe originates from the ume. I recommend for any future ume makers to try this method out as well.
Hi Ruwindu! Awesome! We are so happy to hear you could use the method to create another incredible drink!
Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and sharing your experience with us!🥂
Hi Nami,
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! After 10 months, my plums are still floating and unwrinkled and quite smooth. What do you think has happened here? Is it still okay to drink after 2 more months?
Hi Annie! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes. Your drink is in perfect condition! That is normal. It depends on the Ume, and some Ume extract the flavor in different ways.
2 more months!👏🏻 We hope you enjoy homemade Umeshu.🙂
Hi Nami-San. Thanks so much for sharing your receipe. I am making plum syrup with these plums. Can I make umeshu using the leftover plums from the syrup? If yes, how much rock sugar and alcohol should I add? Hope to get your advice. Thanks.
Hi Diana! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Unfortunately, the Ume plums you used for the syrup already had extracted the flavor, and it would not give an excellent taste to Umesh.
Instead, we recommend using the used Ume to make other dishes like Ume Compote or Jam.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/ume-plum-compote/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/plum-jam/
We hope this helps!
Can you do this with lychee fruit?
Hi Holly! We have never tried this recipe with lychee fruit before, but it might work. Since lychees are sweet, you may have to adjust the sugar amount.
If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Hi Nami, I started making my umeshu a few days ago, and they all floated to the top the next day. Even though I added more alcohol than the ratios in the recipe, the ume are floating so high that a lot of them are not fully submerged in the alcohol. I tried shaking it (as per your reply to a previous commenter) but even more ume became exposed. I’m worried that the ume that are not completely submerged will go bad. Should I open it up to add more alcohol? It looks like they might just keep floating upwards as I add more alcohol to them…The ones that are exposed have already started turning a different color…
Hi Blue! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Ume will float and submerge during the Umeshu-making process, and you do not need to add more alcohol than this recipe.
Instead, please keep them in a cool and dark place, and once or twice a day, you can slowly move the jar so that Ume at the top will coat with liquid inside the jar. If you don’t see a white dot on the different colored Ume at the top, they are fine. We hope this helps!
So what happens if I put more plums for the amount of vodka? Obviously more sugar makes sweeter umeshu, but after I already put some amount of plums in the jar, I didn’t have enough space to have right amount of liquor. I was able to put equal amount of sugar.
Hi Rei! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
If it’s less amount of vodka, it will be sweet-sour syrupy Umeshu. But you may able to diluted with ice etc. to enjoy them.
You can take some out of Ume and sugar to be a correct ratio of Umeshu, or you can leave it as is and try it this year to experiment. This is a fun part of making homemade drinks!🤗
Hi,
I came across your recipe for Umeshi while searching for plum wine. I have Burbank Japanese Plumtree in my yard and it is laden with green plums. Are these plums good for making Umeshi? Last year some critter (most likely possum or racoon) wiped out all the fruits before I could harvest them. So thought I can make wine out of it before he comes back this year. Your instructions are very detailed and would like to try it out with my plums.
Hi Prasanna! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
They are many types of Japanese plum tree in Japan, and not sure which type of yours. But, if it is called a Japanese plum tree and can harvest green plums, give it a try! It might become delicious ones!🤩 Let us know how it goes!🥂
I’m making this recipe for the first time this year. I got some Ume but I let them sit for a few days at home because for some reason it was incredibly hard to find shochu that’s more than 35% alcohol content. Now the ume has turned yellow. Does that mean I have missed my timing to make the Umeshu? 🙁
Hi Julia! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying this recipe!
Usually, green plums are recommended. However, you can make Umesh with yellow-riped Ume. It will be fruity Umeshu, and some people prefer that way.
We hope you start Umeshu making as soon as you can!🙂
We bought these frozen plums from an online Japanese grocery and they said it’s good for making umeshu. May i check if the recipe would be the same using frozen plums (but just need to defrost the plums first)?
Hi Vivien! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes. You can use frozen plums for making Umeshu. Usually use frozen plums without defrosting.
The frozen plums should come in clean, and the stem ends from the plums had removed and ready to use. If it’s not, you might need to defrost a little to take care of them. We hope this helps!
Thanks Naomi!!
My pleasure! Good luck, Vivien!🙂
I just made a batch with the recent ume season. Just have 2 questions about making umeshu.
Thanks!
Hi Nicholas, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
1) It depends on your preference. If you leave the Ume for a long time, the plum seeds may cause astringency and bitterness, and some people prefer the taste.
2) You can open them and taste them. However, it may affect the Umeshu-making process a little. But we do open our jar to taste ours too.😄
We hope this helps!