Umeshu is a liqueur made from unripe green ume fruits steeped in strong neutral alcohol with sugar. The fruits are not eaten raw: they are tart and hard, and steeping in alcohol is a way to make their flavor suitable for drinking.

What is umeshu made from?

From green, still unripe ume fruits, crystalline sugar, and strong neutral alcohol, most often shochu. All of this is steeped together in a closed jar for several months until the liqueur acquires flavor and smoothness.

How does umeshu differ from umeboshi?

These are two different products from the same tree and different processes: umeboshi are salted and sun-dried ume fruits, while umeshu is a liqueur made from the same unripe fruits steeped in alcohol with sugar. They share only the raw material, but the result is completely different in both taste and purpose.

Umeshu: Japanese Green Plum Liqueur

Umeshu is a liqueur made from unripe ume fruits steeped in strong neutral alcohol with sugar. Ume fruits are not eaten raw: they are tart and hard, and steeping is precisely the way to make use of them. Ume is often called a "Japanese plum" in English, though this is a convention: botanically the plant is closer to an apricot and does not coincide with either in the usual sense.

Umeshu is often mistaken for an ordinary plum liqueur, but both the raw material and the principle here are different: it is not ripe but specially unripe fruits that are used. Let's look at how a sweet liqueur is made from hard green ume, why home production of umeshu is permitted by law as a rare exception, and how this liqueur differs from salty umeboshi made from the same tree.

A liqueur made from unripe fruit, not ripe plums

Fresh ume fruits are not eaten: they are tart and too hard, and it was precisely to make use of them that steeping in alcohol was devised. Moreover, it is not ripe fruits that are used, but specially unripe, green ones — 青梅 (aome): it is from such raw material that umeshu is made.

Ume is neither a plum nor an apricot in the usual sense

The ume tree (梅) is indeed related to both the plum and the apricot, but it is a separate species that does not coincide with either botanically. The English "Japanese plum" is an accepted but conventional name: in taste and fruit structure, ume is rather closer to an apricot.

実 — значение: fruit, seed, to ripen, to bear fruit, content, essence — онъёми: ジツ、シツ — кунъёми: み、みの.る、まこと、みの、みち.る — 8 штрих(ов). 実 — "fruit, seed": this character is not in the word 梅酒 itself, but it conveys the essence of umeshu more precisely. For the liqueur, what matters is not the character 梅 "ume" itself, but the state of the fruit — unripe, green 青梅. The same character appears in 果実 (kajitsu) "fruit" and in the verb 実る (minoru) "to bear fruit, to ripen".

Green fruits, sugar, and months in a jar

The process of making umeshu is simple: green ume fruits are covered with crystalline sugar and poured over with strong neutral alcohol, most often shochu, then left to steep in a closed jar for months. During this time, the alcohol draws out the flavor and aroma from the fruits, and the sugar gradually dissolves and softens the sharpness of the liqueur.

Why home production is permitted by law

Japanese law generally prohibits home production of alcohol, but a separate exception is made for liqueurs like umeshu. A person is allowed to steep fruits in already prepared, taxed alcohol with an ABV of at least 20 percent, bought in a store rather than made at home. Legally, this is considered not the production of new alcohol, but merely mixing it with additives.

Umeboshi and ume syrup: neighbors from the same tree

The same ume tree yields two other well-known products, and they should not be confused with umeshu. 梅干し (umeboshi) is salted and sun-dried ume, a completely different process and a different result; 梅ジュース (ume syrup) is a non-alcoholic version of the same steeping idea, only with sugar and no alcohol.

How umeshu is usually drunk

Umeshu is most often drunk diluted with water or soda, or simply with ice — strong undiluted liqueur is less common on the table. This way of serving primarily softens the sweetness and strength of the drink, rather than serving as some special ritual.

FAQ

What is umeshu?: Umeshu is a liqueur made from unripe green ume fruits steeped in strong neutral alcohol with sugar. The fruits are not eaten raw: they are tart and hard, and steeping in alcohol is a way to make their flavor suitable for drinking.
What is umeshu made from?: From green, still unripe ume fruits, crystalline sugar, and strong neutral alcohol, most often shochu. All of this is steeped together in a closed jar for several months until the liqueur acquires flavor and smoothness.
Is ume a plum or an apricot?: Neither in the strict sense: ume is a separate species of the same genus as the plum and apricot, but it does not coincide with either botanically. The English "Japanese plum" is a conventional, familiar name, although in taste and structure the fruit is rather closer to an apricot.
How does umeshu differ from umeboshi?: These are two different products from the same tree and different processes: umeboshi are salted and sun-dried ume fruits, while umeshu is a liqueur made from the same unripe fruits steeped in alcohol with sugar. They share only the raw material, but the result is completely different in both taste and purpose.

Sources

Updated: 2026-09-21