A tart Japanese plum known as ume has become a central ingredient for Bay Area beverage professionals who are willing to spend months or even years steeping the fruit in spirits. Although the golf ball sized fruit is inedible in its raw state, it transforms into umeshu, a sweet and sour liqueur, after being coated in sugar and steeped in alcohol for at least six months. This traditional Japanese ingredient is seeing a surge in popularity as local chefs and bartenders seek to add a distinct California twist to their offerings.
Sourcing the plums presents a significant challenge because California grown ume are only in season for a few weeks in May. The harvest is also vulnerable to unexpected weather events that can wipe out an orchard's supply. Sylvan Mishoma Brackett, who authored the 2023 cookbook Rintaro, notes that sourcing is the hardest part of the process. His Mission District izakaya produces approximately 150 gallons of umeshu annually, serving the liqueur over large ice cubes or mixed with seltzer.
The preparation process is slow and requires patience. The standard method involves placing cleaned plums in a jar with sugar and alcohol, then leaving the mixture to steep for a period ranging from six months to two years. Chelsea Nichols at Oakland's Ramen Shop uses unflavored vodka from St. George Spirits as her base and serves her housemade umeshu in a highball with tonic water and lemon. Meanwhile, William Cao, bar manager at The Progress, is steeping his own batch in vodka with the goal of having it cocktail ready by December. He is debating whether to use it in a highball style drink or a stirred agave spirit based cocktail, as suggested by chef Stuart Brioza.
Other establishments are exploring various applications of the fruit. At Yutori in Palo Alto, chef Jerome Ito sources plums from local farmers markets to create both umeshu and umeboshi, which are salt preserved plums often colored with red shiso leaves. The resulting umeshu is featured in a cocktail called Ume Chuai, which also includes shochu, elderflower, and tonic. Kayoko Akabori, co founder of Umami Mart in Oakland, highlights that many people are unaware the fruit can be eaten. She describes the taste as crunchy and tart, using an ume garnish on a Manhattan variation called the Umehattan.
Timofei Osipenko and his team at Bar Iris in Russian Hill have expanded their use of the fruit beyond simple liqueurs. They source ume from long established growers in Napa and Sonoma, preferring the local produce over imported fruit. Osipenko processes the fruit immediately upon arrival, selecting the smallest and greenest plums for a two year aging process in a high proof awamori spirit. Larger, medium ripe fruit is used to make umeboshi, which is then utilized in bitters, tinctures, and a honey infusion for nonalcoholic drinks. Osipenko asserts that the flavor of his in house products is unbeatable compared to commercial versions.
In Berkeley, Jennifer Colliau, bar director at Roses on Adeline, has been experimenting with ume for several years. Inspired by a recipe from the Chinese cookbook All Under Heaven, she sourced plums from local distiller Pekut and Carwick to create salt cured umeboshi. She uses the resulting solids to create a base stock for a salted plum syrup under her brand Small Hand Foods. Additionally, she soaks the remaining solids in neutral spirit to create a tincture used in daiquiris and gin Collins at her bar. Colliau describes the cocktails as clean and neutral, making them ideal for modification with the tart plum flavor.
Local spirit makers are also integrating the plum into their production lines. Pekut and Carwick produce an umeshu called Prunus Mume, with an extra dry version scheduled for release this winter. Alameda's St. George Spirits began experimenting with umeshu more than a decade ago, eventually using it to season casks for their Japanese inspired whiskey, Baller. Last month, they released a limited edition liqueur called St. George California Umeshu, which is a blend of batches produced between 2015 and 2022. The liqueur is described as fragrant, jammy, and rich.
Mosswood Spirits in Berkeley has also seasoned barrels with ume infused alcohol to create batches of Umeshu Barrel Aged Whiskey and an ume plum flavored rum. This year, they are releasing a stand alone umeshu called Oomayshoo for the first time. Owner Jake Chevedden notes that the product is a blend of batches aged four to eight years after the initial infusion and is currently undergoing labeling. As the popularity of umeshu rises, competition for the plums is intensifying, with some producers pausing operations due to rising costs and crop failures.
The scarcity of the fruit is becoming a more significant issue for makers. One producer of umeshu bitters recently paused production because the rising prices over the past two years made it difficult to justify the cost. St. George Spirits will not be releasing an umeshu blend this year because their source crop failed. Despite these challenges, Akabori remains determined to continue sourcing the fruit, noting that it is particularly expensive to go organic and that producers often have to find their own farmers to secure a supply.
