Ume Syrup (梅シロップ, Ume Shiroppu)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3 to 4 liter glass preserving jar with tight lid
• •Bamboo skewer or toothpick
• •Kitchen scale
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Small saucepan
• •Clean bottles and funnel

Instructions

1. 1

   Sort the Ume

   Choose firm green ume with tight skin and no bruises, brown patches, or soft spots. They should smell faintly sharp and green, not sweet like ripe plums. Yellow ume will make a softer, more perfumed syrup, but this bright summer drink belongs to the green fruit.

2. 2

   Wash and Dry

   Rinse the ume gently in cool water, then drain them well. Pick out the little brown stem plug from each fruit with a bamboo skewer or toothpick, then dry every ume with a clean towel and leave them spread out until no moisture remains. The stem end holds water, and water is where mold begins.

3. 3

   Prepare the Jar

   Use a 3 to 4 liter glass preserving jar with a tight lid. Wash it well, rinse it with boiling water if the jar can take heat, then let it dry completely. Wipe the inside with food-safe alcohol or shōchū if you have it. The syrup sits for weeks, so cleanliness is part of the recipe, not housekeeping.

4. 4

   Layer with Sugar

   Put a layer of rock sugar in the bottom of the jar, add a layer of ume, and continue layering until both are used, finishing with sugar on top. If using rice vinegar, pour it down the inside wall of the jar. The sugar draws juice by osmosis, and the large crystals dissolve slowly enough to keep the extraction steady.

   The vinegar is a sensible guard against fermentation and adds a clean edge. It is not required, but it is useful in a warm kitchen.
5. 5

   Turn It Daily

   Seal the jar and keep it in a cool, dark place. Once a day, roll and tilt the jar so the forming syrup washes over the fruit and sugar. Don't shake hard. You want to wet the surface evenly, not bruise the ume. After a few days, the bottom will hold clear syrup and the fruit will begin to wrinkle.

6. 6

   Judge the Syrup

   Let the jar stand for about 2 to 3 weeks, until most of the sugar has dissolved and the ume look wrinkled and spent. If the lid hisses or the syrup bubbles actively, fermentation has begun. It can be stopped by straining and heating the syrup at once. If you see fuzzy mold or smell rot, discard it and begin again with cleaner fruit and a drier jar.

7. 7

   Strain and Heat

   Strain the syrup through a fine sieve into a saucepan and remove the ume. Heat the syrup gently to about 80 C and hold it there for 5 minutes, skimming any pale foam. Don't boil it hard. A hard boil dulls the ume fragrance and darkens the syrup, while gentle heat is enough to quiet fermentation.

   The spent ume should not be eaten raw. If you want one for the glass, simmer a few strained ume with a little syrup and water for 10 minutes, then cool them.
8. 8

   Bottle and Serve

   Pour the hot syrup into clean bottles, cool it, and refrigerate. To serve, mix 1 part syrup with 4 or 5 parts cold soda water or chilled water over ice. Taste before adding more syrup. It should be bright and sour first, sweet second.

Chef Tips

• •Use real green ume, not ordinary plums. The fruit is hard, sour, and slightly resinous, and that edge is the whole point of the drink.
• •Rock sugar isn't decoration. It melts slowly, so the syrup forms cleanly around the fruit instead of turning syrupy at once and leaving dry pockets above.
• •If your kitchen runs warm, use the rice vinegar and move the jar to the coolest dark cupboard you have. A little caution here is better than losing the batch in week two.
• •Don't eat green ume raw or chew the pits. Once the fruit has given up its juice, cook it into jam or a small compote, or simply let it go.

Advance Preparation

• •Start this syrup 2 to 3 weeks before you want to drink it. The active work is brief, but the fruit needs time to give up its juice.
• •The jar can be washed, sterilized, and dried the day before. A dry jar is the easy victory here.
• •Finished, gently heated syrup keeps about 2 months refrigerated. For longer storage, freeze it in small portions and thaw only what you'll use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 310g)