Umeshu Soda Cocktail Recipe
Japanese plum liqueur lengthened with soda over plenty of ice — sweet-sour and very low in strength.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 8%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Umeshu50 ml (1.7 oz)
- Soda water120 ml (4.1 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a highball glass to the top with ice.
- Pour in the umeshu.
- Top slowly with cold soda water and stir once.
- Garnish with a lemon slice.
Garnish
Lemon slice
What it tastes like
Fruit notes come forward, it is carbonated, it drinks cool and easy and it is low in alcohol.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Soda water
- Plain carbonated water. It goes in LAST and nothing is stirred after it. An open bottle goes flat fast, so small bottles make more sense than big ones.
The Story
Umeshu is made at home across Japan every June, when green ume plums appear for a few weeks and are steeped in shochu and rock sugar.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Umeshu Soda mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Umeshu Soda?
- Roughly 8% ABV as served — lighter than a beer — a long-conversation drink that takes a second round.
- Can a Umeshu Soda be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Umeshu Soda hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.