Ume Plum Soda
A crisp, tangy-sweet Japanese-style sparkling drink built right in the glass from ume plum syrup, cold soda water, and fresh lemon. It tastes like umeshu without the alcohol and takes five minutes.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- —
- Wait
- 5 min
- Total
- 10 min
- Makes
- 2 tall drinks (about 10 oz / 300 ml each)
Steps
Before you start
- Chill the soda water in the fridge for at least 2 hours so it stays fizzy and doesn't melt the ice fast.
- Use a fresh, unopened bottle of soda water for the best bubbles.
- Ume syrup brands vary in sweetness; start with the amount here and adjust at the end.
- Put the glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes if you want a frosty finish.
Chill the glasses
- Place two 12 oz (350 ml) tall glasses in the freezer for about 10 minutes while you prepare the rest.
- If short on time, fill them with ice water and empty before building.
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Ready when: Glasses look frosty on the outside
Tip: Skip this step if your freezer is crowded; the drink is still good with well-chilled soda.
Juice the lemon
- Cut a lemon in half and squeeze out 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of juice.
- Strain out any seeds.
- Cut 4 thin ⅛-inch (3 mm) rounds from a second lemon or the remaining half and remove any seeds.
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Ready when: You have 2 tablespoons of juice and 4 clean slices
Tip: Roll the lemon firmly on the counter before cutting to get more juice.
Add syrup and lemon
- Pour 2 tablespoons (30 ml) ume syrup and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice into each glass.
- Stir for 5 seconds with a spoon so the syrup and juice are fully combined.
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Ready when: The base looks evenly amber-pink with no syrup streaks
Tip: Mix the syrup with lemon before adding ice; thick syrup sticks to the bottom otherwise.
Add ice and lemon slices
- Tuck 2 lemon slices against the inside of each glass, then fill each glass to the top with about 1 cup (140 g) of ice cubes.
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Ready when: Ice reaches about 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the rim
Tip: Full glasses of ice melt slower than half-full ones, so don't skimp.
Top with soda
- Open the cold soda water and pour about ¾ cup (180 ml) slowly down the inside edge of each glass, tilting it slightly, so the bubbles stay lively.
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Ready when: Liquid reaches within ½ inch (1 cm) of the rim with a light fizzy head
Tip: Pouring straight onto the ice knocks out the carbonation.
Stir, taste, and serve
- Lift the ice once from the bottom with a long spoon, one gentle turn only, to blend the syrup into the soda.
- Taste: add 1 teaspoon more syrup if too tart, or a squeeze of lemon if too sweet.
- Slap the mint between your palms, add a sprig to each glass if using, and serve right away.
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Ready when: The drink is a pale blush color, balanced sweet-tart, and still actively bubbling
Tip: Stirring more than once flattens the soda.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep every component cold; warm syrup or soda makes the ice melt and the drink go flat.
- Use a 1 : 3 syrup-to-soda ratio as a baseline (roughly 2 tbsp to ¾ cup), then adjust to your syrup's sweetness.
- Large ice cubes dilute more slowly than crushed ice.
- For a salty edge, add 1 tsp of the brine from a jar of umeboshi.
Make ahead
Squeeze the lemon juice and mix the syrup and juice base up to 24 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate. Add ice and soda only when serving.
Storage & reheating
Serve immediately; it loses fizz within 10 minutes. The syrup-lemon base keeps covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Unopened ume syrup keeps in the pantry; once opened, refrigerate for up to 3 months. Do not freeze the finished drink.
Substitutions
- ume plum syrup (ume shiroppu) → Apricot or sour cherry syrup. Gives a similar fruity-tart flavor; the taste will be less salty-sour than ume.
- plain soda water → Sparkling mineral water. Works well; salty brands add a slight mineral note, so taste before adding more syrup.
- fresh lemon juice → Fresh lime or yuzu juice. Use the same amount; yuzu gives a more floral, Japanese-style aroma.
- fresh mint sprigs → Fresh shiso leaf. One leaf per glass adds a traditional herbal note.
