Hakutsuru Ume Plum Liqueur
Recently as in this month, I decided to join the Tippsy Sake club. Why did I join the club? Because my trip to Japan was the single greatest thing I have ever done, and I want to keep fueling that feeling of happiness. Happiness isn’t really something I am accustomed to. Frankly, I suffer from severe depression, and should probably not be imbibing so many depressants, but fuck logic!
Why do I mention Tippsy, when this particular alcohol was NOT part of my Tippsy box? Because in my Tippsy box was a bottle of Kimoto Umeshu. And that stuff was great. Drinking it straight was good, mixing it with various things around the house it was good. It was awesome, and so I wanted to go out and seek that Umeshu flavor at my local liquor store. Umeshu is literally just plums soaked in booze. So, If you like plum flavor and you like booze, you might want to seek out the Ume, too.
Return with me once more to the chaos that is my desk. This, is the bottle I am hoping will recreate the umeshu flavor, at a slightly lower price point. Although, I suppose I have no room to talk about price points when I have a 150 dollar bottle from Suntory sitting in my liquor cabinet (it’s literally just a part of my desk… Have a look
So, it’s basically a bottle of Scotch, a bottle of Japanese whisky, a bottle of Crystal Head vodka, a bottle of Haku vodka, a bottle of Canadian ice wine, a bottle of pinot noir, the bottle of sake I bought in Japan And that expensive bottle of Suntory plum liqueur. Oh yeah, and the bottle of Jameson’s, you can also see a small selection of my souvenir shot glasses. Not an extensive cabinet, to be sure… I still need to add some rum and tequila into the mix, and possibly some gin to sit there and look pretty since I can’t stand gin… But back to the purpose of this post.
This particular bottle comes from Kobe, a city a little west of Osaka, and famous for their beef. The bottle I had previously hailed from Nihonmatsu which is fairly close to Fukushima which is famous for their nuclear power plant fallout…
The Kimoto came in at 12% ABV, while this bottle is coming in at nearly 20% ABV… That’s some powerful stuff. Both are made from Nanko plums (spelled Nankou on the Kimoto)
Into my newest glass it goes. This stuff has a strong, fruity aroma, with almost a hint of almond? Like an amaretto. Actually, the more I sniff, the more almondy it smells, which is just fine, because amaretto is one of my favorite alcohols to cook with. Letting it sit in my mouth, this is sweet, but not in an overpowering way, and it also has hints of sourness. Kinda like a liquid Sour Patch Kid. I think that this one would be best enjoyed as a mixer. Mixed with a little Dragonfruit Red Bull, this was actually a rather pleasant combo. I almost mixed it with a melon soda I got from a Tokyo Treat box… but melon is not a flavor I enjoy.
Bottom line, this is some tasty stuff. While it can be consumed straight, I would recommend cutting it with something, not only to lower the ABV but to also provide a better drinking experience.
This may be my go-to plum liqueur, coming in at just under 30 dollars for the bottle, it is rather affordable, and if you use it as a mixer, it will last a little while.
What I really want to know, is where I bought this glass from… because I want a blue one to go with this one…
