Umeshu – need cocktail ideas

[Kerry Beal]

I was at the LCBO clearance center last week and found a bottle of Choya umeshu. I decided that this evening's cocktail should feature it. I can find some suggestions for using it in a sour - but other than that ideas seem few and far between.

Any great ideas?

[mkayahara]

There's an LCBO clearance centre? And you didn't take me with you?

How sweet is the stuff? The things that come to mind for me right away would be subbing it for apricot liqueur in something, using it as a modifier in a Martini (as, say, a substitute for the prunelle in Fairbank cocktail), or maybe seeing how it plays as a sub for sloe gin?

[Kerry Beal]

The LCBO clearance center is not as exciting as you'd think - unless you are after wine. As a regular LCBO though it's a good sized store and has lots of stuff that some stores don't carry.

The umeshu actually wasn't in the clearance section of the store though - so I paid full price. Haven't tasted it yet - but all reports have it as well balanced, sweet but with good balancing acidity. I did pick up a couple of bottles of Leblon cachaca for $12 less.

So what is a cocktail with Sloe Gin in it? I haven't seen that in stores for a really long time!

[mkayahara]

My favourite sloe gin drink is the Modern No. 2.

Edit: Of course, I have no idea if the umeshu will work with Scotch, but I can imagine it working well with gin. Come to that, it would be interesting to try it with genever.

Edited October 2, 2012 by mkayahara (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

It gets along with dark rum. Seen it used in a Daiquiri mod and it was okay. They used a fairly sweet but accessible rum--Ron Zacapa--whereas I'd be inclined to pit it against a more assertive rum. Just to see, I mean.

[Kerry Beal]

It gets along with dark rum. Seen it used in a Daiquiri mod and it was okay. They used a fairly sweet but accessible rum--Ron Zacapa--whereas I'd be inclined to pit it against a more assertive rum. Just to see, I mean.

I like dark rum - that will be my next thing to try it with.

[Kerry Beal]

Riffing off Matt's idea of replacing Sloe Gin with Umeshu - I found this recipe for Veil of the Martinez. Umeshu, dry vermouth, maraschino and orange bitters. An extremely interesting cocktail. Absolutely nothing familiar tasting about it at all. But very enjoyable.

[ChrisTaylor]

Here's the umeshu daiquiri I had at Sake, Melbourne:

Black Zacquiri - served straight up 18

Ron Zacapa 23yo rum, Kokuto umeshu & fresh lime

Sorry, no quantities given, but, I mean, it wasn't a particularly sweet drink or anything--and this is by my sweet-loathing standards--so maybe that'll give you some idea. I don't have umeshu on hand but if I wanted to make this I guess I'd just start by subbing the sugar syrup.