Plum Wine Sour (Umeshu Soda)
Sweet-tart Japanese plum liqueur poured over ice and topped with cold soda water, for a light, fragrant, lightly fizzy sipper. The classic way to drink umeshu in any Japanese izakaya.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Chill the glass
Fill a highball glass with cold water and a handful of ice, swirl for a few seconds, then empty it out. A pre-chilled glass keeps the drink cold without needing extra ice later.
Fill with ice
Fill the chilled glass about two-thirds full with fresh ice cubes. Using plenty of ice, rather than just a little, keeps the drink from getting watered down as it melts.
Pour the umeshu
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Top with soda
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Garnish and serve
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Chill the glass
Fill a highball glass with cold water and a handful of ice, swirl for a few seconds, then empty it out. A pre-chilled glass keeps the drink cold without needing extra ice later.
Fill with ice
Fill the chilled glass about two-thirds full with fresh ice cubes. Using plenty of ice, rather than just a little, keeps the drink from getting watered down as it melts.
Pour the umeshu
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Top with soda
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Garnish and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Umeshu grew out of the long Japanese habit of preserving ume plums, a fruit too sour to eat raw, by steeping them in alcohol with sugar until their flavor and color seep out. Wakayama, Japan's leading ume-growing region, is still the heartland of the best bottled umeshu, though home cooks across the country have long made their own each early summer.
Served simply over ice with soda, it became a staple of izakaya menus as a lighter alternative to beer or sake, enjoyed by people who want something sweet, fragrant and easy to drink.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It turns a strong, syrupy plum liqueur into a light, bubbly, low-alcohol drink that pairs with almost any izakaya dish.
💡 Fun Fact
Many Japanese households still make their own umeshu every June, when green ume plums come into season, steeping them in jars for months before the first taste.
Wakayama Prefecture
34.23°N, 135.17°E
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