Umeshu

Other Names : Japanese Plum Wine, UME-fruit liqueur, 梅酒
Umeshu is a Japanese liqueur made from steeping ume fruits (while still unripe and green) in alcohol (焼酎 shōchū?) and sugar. Umeshu was brought from China to Japan as a medical drink in the eight century. In 1697 the dictionary of Japanese food culture first time documents the word "umeshu". It has a sweet, sour taste, and an alcohol content of 10–15%. The taste and aroma of umeshu can appeal to even those people who normally dislike alcohol. Famous brands of umeshu include Choya and Takara Shuzo. Varieties are available with whole ume fruits contained in the bottle, and some make their own umeshu at home.

Benefits and uses of Umeshu are

• the main component of the organic acid incorporated in UME-fruit liqueur is citric acid. This substance relieves fatigue and helps the body recover its energy and vitality. This is what is known as Umeshu's relaxing effect.
• drinking just a bit in times when the appetite is lost stimulates saliva and gastric secretions enhancing the appetite and bringing out the flavor of any meal.
• possesses a sterilizing effect and an intestinal digestion process coordinating effect that purifies the body's internal organs and relieves diarrhea.
• Helps against sore throat.

Classification

• Umeshu based on Sake : Sake - or nihonshu - is a Japanese alcoholic drink brewed from rice and water. It is well known as ricewine but it's production is closer to the production of beer than wine. It is the differences in rice, the water and the mash that lead to a large variety of sake brands and flavors. The taste of sake can be very smooth and flowery, dry or even sour and sharp. Many umeshu are made based on sake. It is obvious that the different types of sake also lead to different types of umeshu. We made a selection of a few very nice but different umeshu based on sake.
  • Aragoshi Umeshu : Aragoshi Umeshu made by the famous Ume no Yado Brewery in Nara prefecture is a very unique Umeshu. It is made of very ripe Ume apricot and includes some extra pulp. It is unfiltered so that the delicious pulp remains in the liqueur.
  • Sogabairin no Umeshu : Sogabairin no Umeshu () is made by the Ishii Brewery in Kanagawa prefecture. Soga is the name of a region that is well known for growing ume-apricot. This Umeshu is based on Sake and a little bit rough in the first place. The long-lasting aftertaste is well balanced with a very intense flavor of green ume.
• Umeshu based on Shochu : Shochu is a distilled beverage native to Japan. It has between 25% and 43% alcohol and most often is made of rice, barley or sweet potato. There also is a variety of Shochu made of buckwheat, sweet chestnut or even milk. Shochu became very popular over the last years, mainly because it is more digestible than Sake. It is made all over Japan but is originated from Kyushu island.
  • Hannari Kyo Umeshu : Hannari Kyo Umeshu is a very classic Umeshu from Kyoto. It's taste reminds many Japanese their grandmothers home-made Umeshu. It is not so sweet and has a refreshing acid.
  • Jonetsu Umeshu : Jonetsu Umeshu is made with Awamori - a kind of rice-shochu from Okinawa island - and a shot of passion-fruit juice. Both fruits have very intense flavor as well as natural acid and complement each other. This Umeshu is fruity but dry with a lot of acid. The combination of fruitiness and acid makes it an ideal aperitif.
  • Nigori Yuzu Umeshu : Nigori Yuzu Umeshu is made by the Kitagawa Honke brewery in Kyotu. It's taste is dominated by Japanese Yuzu lime. It is a little bit sour and emphasizes the fragrance of the slightly bitter Yuzu skin. It is unfiltered and includes a lot of pulp.
  • Ohara Shiso Umeshu : Ohara Shiso Umeshu from the Kitagawa Honke brewery in Kyoto is made mit Japanese Shiso mint that gives it a nice pink color. Ohara is the name of a region that is well known for growing Shiso. Because it is made with natural Shiso only it has a very natural and subtle bitter flavor of Shiso.
  • Shochu Shikomi Kuroi Umeshu : Shochu Shikomi Kuroi Umeshu is made from wheat Shochu by the Kikusui brewery in Kochi prefecture. The dark color of the Shochu gives it its name (kuroi means black). The distinct flavor of the wheat Shochu blends very well with the ume-apricot. This makes it a very special Umeshu that people hate or love.
  • Uji Gyokuro Umeshu : Uji Gyokuro Umeshu is made of rice Shochu, ume and green tea. The addition of real green tea leaves from the Uji region gives it a very natural scent of green tea that blends very well with ume. This Umeshu has a bitter aftertaste typical for Gyokuro tea. It is a very refreshing digestive.
• Umeshu based on Brandy : Brandy can also serve as a base for the production of Umeshu. They often have a slightly heavy taste. Their full body comes from brandy that matured during many years. They fit well to a romatic fireplace evening and are a perfect blend of Western and Japanese culture.
  • Baiko Hyakunen Umeshu : Baiko Hyakunen Umeshu literally means "hundred years Umeshu" in Japanese. It is made by the Meiri brewery in Ibaraki prefecture. It is based on brandy that aged for at least 5 years and it has a fruity, long-lasting aroma.
  • Joto Umeshu : The name says it all: Joto means first class in Japanese and the flavor of this Umeshu matches its name. It has a smooth but not too sweet taste and a perfect balance of ume-apricot, brandy and honey.
• Umeshu based on White Liqueur : White liqueur is made industrially and has no own taste as compared to Sake, Shochu or brandy. This makes it a good base for Umeshu since it preserves the original taste of the ume apricot. This neutral alcohol base is also often used for new Umeshu creations including green tea, honey, Japanese basil or other innovative ingredients (e.g., banana).
  • Kokuto Umeshu : Kokuto Umeshu is with brown sugar and made by the Honbo brewery in Kagoshima prefecture. It is a perfect liqueur for dessert. The aroma is dominated by the brown sugar and smoothened by the softness of the ume-apricot and some honey. This very unique Umeshu also fits well to coffee or even cheese.
  • Koshu Nigori Umeshu : Koshu Nigori Umeshu is an unfiltered and therefore unclear Umeshu. Only very ripe ume fruits are used for its production. This gives him a strong fruitiness that reminds western apricot.It is a rather smooth Umeshu with little acid and a nice aftertaste.
  • Kyunen Koshu Nigori Umeshu : Kyunen Koshu Nigori Umeshu is made by the Kikusui brewery and it aged for nine years. It has a rich flavor of ripe ume-apricot and it is very sweet. Its consistency is very thick and it has a very intense fruity scent.
  • Shoga Umeshu : Shoga Umeshu is a really amazing liqueur. At first the ginger really as the sharpness of raw ginger. But after a short while it smoothens and the second impression is a long-lasting beautiful taste of ginger. This Umeshu is a perfect drink on a hot summer day or in winter to warm you up.
  • Torotoro Banana Umeshu : Torotoro Banana Umeshu from Kikusui brewery is a very special Umeshu with banana pulp. The banana makes the consistency very thick and gives a smooth aroma.