Happy Hour: Umeboshi Splash!

My best friend Sara wrote a book and it just came out! It's called Never Ever and it is a young adult fiction novel recreating the story of Peter Pan. I just finished the book yesterday and I must say that it is brilliant! It is the perfect pool-side summer read, or a way to spend a foggy, dreadfully cold summer day in SF snuggled up in bed. The imaginative storyline and characters will pull you in and you won't be able to put it down. Read it!

The Peter Pan of the story, Phinn, takes Wylie and her brothers to an off-the-grid location far from Manhattan called Minor Island. It is an idyllic, tropical place where no one over 17 years old is allowed. What a dream! Minor Island has its own set of rules, or lack thereof, and the kids do as they please. They also have their own slang terms and "Splash!" is their way to say "Cheers!" or "Kanpai!" So I've named my newest cocktail after this.

The main ingredient for this drink is umeboshi or pickled plum. It is an age-old ingredient in Japan that is mainly eaten as a condiment for a steaming bowl of rice.





Umeboshi is so tart that it will make your mouth pucker. Even just looking at that photo makes my mouth salivate. It is a humble food that is distinct in flavor and is quintessentially Japanese. I have never encountered anything like it in the world.

For this drink I took myself to Minor Island -- sunbathing in the sand, diving into the clear blue waters, and staying up all night flying through the sky with the fireflies. What a magical place! The kids would want something to quench their thirst and cool them down. This is the drink! Also, this is a pretty lazy beverage that anyone can make, even the average asshole teenager (I was never an asshole, I swear).

Umeboshi Splash!

Makes 1 drink

INGREDIENTS
3oz genshu sake (I used Hakkaisan Shiboritate Nama Genshu)
0.75oz fresh squeezed lime juice
0.5oz Shrub & Co. Honey Shrub
1 umeboshi
Club soda



TOOLS
Ume Muddler
0.75/0.5oz jigger
Large juicer



GLASSWARE
Toyo-Sasaki Hard Strong Pint

METHOD

1. Juice limes.



2. Take an umeboshi and put it into the glass. Muddle it with the Ume Muddler.



This is a tool that was invented to specifically muddle umeboshi. There's a divet at the end of the stick that massages the umeboshi just so...



3. Add sake, juice and shrub.



4. Fill the glass with ice and stir all the liquids together.



5. Fill the glass to the brim with soda.





6. Garnish with a lime wedge and you are on your way to Minor Island!



The Umeboshi Splash is a true thirst-quencher with a nicely balanced combo of sweet and savory. Umeboshi and honey are a classic pairing and go well together with the lime. This drink actually reminds me of a tamarind soda I had in Vietnam. Mexico also uses a lot of that puckering lime and tamarind flavors. You know, all the really HOT and tropical places in the world!

The main character in Never Ever, Wylie, does not drink alcohol. So you can also keep this booze-free by eliminating the sake and adding some more shrub and lime juice. Just don't hold back on the ice or soda.

Splash!