Japanese food

Last update September 15, 2025

Japanese Drink - Ume Shu -



  

Ume Shu

Japanese Apricot Liquor

If you have an Ume (a kind of plum or apricot) tree in the garden, June is the season for harvesting its fruit. Once you’ve all the fruit on the tree, it’s time to decide what you’re going to make from it. There are basically two choices: make Ume Boshi (pickles) or Ume Shu (liquor). Or making them both if you have a plentiful harvest. Making Ume Shu is simple. Cleanse the fruit, soak it in white liquor after adding some sugar, and wait for at least three months. That’s it! The longer you wait, the richer Ume Shu becomes. You can enjoy it as an aperitif or nightcap, on the rocks, straight or soda mixed. The Ume fruit used for preparing the liquor can be eaten, for example, by dropping one into the served liquor. Various Ume Shu products are also available for sale in liquor stores.

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Homemade Ume Shu served on the rocks.
japanese-food-zoni
Zoni with Kamaboko, Wakame, and spinach.

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Zoni with Hakusai, Wakame, and spinach.

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Zoni with Kamaboko, and spinach.