Umeshu Plum Spritz

Before you start

Umeshu is a Japanese liqueur made by steeping unripe ume fruit, a sour stone fruit related to apricots and plums, in spirit with sugar. It tastes of marzipan, tart plum and almond, and most bottles sit between about 10 and 20 percent ABV. Lengthened with dry sparkling wine and soda, it becomes an easy, gently sweet spritz that works before dinner or with salty snacks.

The main choice is the umeshu itself. Sweeter, syrupy bottles need more soda and a squeeze of lemon; drier, brandy-based ones can take a higher ratio. Build directly in the glass, pour the sparkling elements down a tilted bar spoon and stir only once, so the bubbles survive.

Ingredients

• 60 ml (2 oz) umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur) — chilled; ABV varies by brand
• 60 ml (2 oz) dry sparkling wine — brut prosecco or cava, chilled
• 45 ml (1½ oz) soda water — chilled
• 5 ml (1 tsp) fresh lemon juice — optional, for sweeter umeshu
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1 thin lemon wheel
• 1 umeshu plum from the bottle — optional garnish

Method

1. Fill the wine glass about two-thirds with ice cubes. Cold glass and cold ingredients matter more in a spritz than in shaken drinks, since there is no shaker to chill them.
2. Pour in the umeshu, then the lemon juice if your umeshu tastes very sweet on its own.
3. Tilt the glass slightly and pour the sparkling wine down the back of a bar spoon so it keeps as many bubbles as possible.
4. Add the soda water the same way, finishing with the glass nearly full.
5. Lift the ice once from the bottom with the bar spoon to mix the layers; do not stir repeatedly.
6. Slip in a thin lemon wheel and, if your bottle includes the steeped fruit, an umeshu plum. Serve right away.

Tips for success

• Check the label ABV. A 20% umeshu makes a noticeably stronger spritz; use 45 ml and add 15 ml more soda.
• Keep all the bottles in the refrigerator for a few hours beforehand. Warm sparkling wine foams over and goes flat fast.
• Umeshu with the fruit left in often tastes richer. The soaked plums are edible but contain a hard pit.

Substitutions

Sparkling wine

Use all soda water (105 ml) for a lighter, less complex drink with roughly half the alcohol. Dry sparkling sake is a fun, softer option.

Soda water

Tonic adds bitterness that balances a very sweet umeshu. Ginger ale gives a spicier, sweeter spritz.

Umeshu

Apricot liqueur is the closest Western swap, though it is usually sweeter. Reduce it to 45 ml and add the lemon juice.

Variations

Umeshu highball

Pour 45 ml umeshu over ice in a tall glass and top with 120 ml soda water and a lemon twist for a simpler, even lighter drink.

Troubleshooting

The spritz is cloyingly sweet

Your umeshu is a syrupy style. Add 5 to 10 ml of lemon juice and an extra splash of soda.

It goes flat in a few minutes

The wine or soda was warm, or the drink was over-stirred. Chill everything well and stir just once.

The flavor is weak and watery

Too much ice melted before serving, or the ratio leaned too far toward soda. Use large, cold cubes and keep the umeshu at 60 ml.

Storage

Serve immediately after building. Opened umeshu keeps well tightly capped in a cool cupboard or the refrigerator for months. Recork opened sparkling wine with a stopper, refrigerate it and use it within 1 to 2 days.

Safety notes

With a 12% umeshu and an 11% sparkling wine, this spritz is about 0.8 U.S. standard drinks (one standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol); stronger umeshu raises that. For adults of legal drinking age only, and do not drink and drive.