Every year, around the Qingming Festival, in late March and early April, there is a wave of “plum wine making” because this is the season when plums are abundant and it has become a “ritual” in the lives of wine lovers. “(Although many people say “brewed plums”, it is actually just “pickled plums”.
The “making” of real wine is actually a much more complex process ……) and everyone is no stranger to making their own plum wine. After all, it’s really quite simple. You just wash the plums, add sugar and “base sake” to suit everyone’s tastes and preferences!
This so-called “base sake” can be used in a wide range of ways, from lighter alcoholic strengths like sake and shochu, to heavier alcoholic strengths like sorghum, vodka, gin, and even whiskey and the water of life!
The brewing time varies depending on the alcoholic strength and flavor profile of the base sake. Some can be drunk for months or even weeks, others for years!
However, the brewed plum wine is rich in flavor. Of course, it can be served at room temperature or over ice, but many people choose to add other beverages as well!
Many on the market suggest adding clear soda water (like Sprite) as a common compromise, but soda water is too sweet. If your plum wine is sour, you can try it. However, if your plum wine has been put down high in sugar to begin with, it is recommended that you think twice about adding soda water
In Japanese pubs, plum wine is served in a very similar way to shochu. The method of drinking it with water is called “shirasu”. However, it must be served on ice. In addition, ice must be added to an empty glass in order to freeze the glass. More professionally, the empty glass is filled with ice and then stirred until the glass begins to fog up and form droplets, then plum wine and water are added.
As with boiling water and drinking water, drinking water with ice is called “cutting water,” while adding hot water is called “cutting soup.
This is also the same method of drinking as boiling tea. The method of drinking tea is called “kiri-cha”. In Japanese pubs, the most formal form of “kiri-cha” is to add “oolong tea”, but many people add “green tea” (the private concept of “plum green tea with wine” concept)
In fact, in addition to adding soda or Sprite right from the start, many sparkling drinks are also suitable for this purpose. For a long time, “plum and coke” has been a common drink in Taiwan. The plum wine tastes the same, the more you drink the better and the more comfortable it is!
Although I think it’s a bit too down to earth, plum beer is indeed a common drink in hotels in Taiwan. Of course, I can make my own plum wine at home, or I can make my own flavor of beer!
There’s nothing you can’t do! As mentioned above, whiskey is one of the common base spirits used to make plum wine. Whiskey can be added to plum wine regardless of the base spirit used, but the reason is the same. If you don’t want to add whiskey today, you can certainly drink it with other base spirits! (Frankly, this only adds to the flavor of the original spirit!)
Plum wine with fruit juice is also a common way to drink it, but you should not choose fruit juice that is too strong. After all, plum wine is already a very strong-flavored fruit wine. It’s bad to choose a juice with a heavy flavor. The most commonly used juices are orange juice, apple juice, pear juice. etc.
This is not expected, but it is indeed the way of drinking advocated by many people on the Internet. It is said that plum wine with milk will taste like cheese!
At the same time, some people have suggested replacing milk with a lactic acid drink such as “Yakult” (which, by actual measurement, the editor actually prefers!). Again, they are both dairy products. You can also add a little ice cream to the plum wine and let it slowly melt. Or, with ice cream as the star of the show, put the ice cream with one or three balls and pour the plum wine over the end as a condiment!
