Special) Umeshu Inspired Concoctions (Part 2)

I really had looked forward to getting this post up earlier, but life happened and other projects took the forefront. Also, in the mean time, I learned that, technically, because I had added sugar to all of these, the most accurate term is liqueurs. I may still call them concoctions for now because a liqueur is a type of concoction.

Back on June 21st, Father's day, I reopened my concoctions that I had made and closed in December last year. Of course, with proper regard to the holiday, I shared samples of them with my dad. 

1-5 in order left to right

1) Coconut and Cut Spike Rum

2) Lemon, Ginger and Cut Spike Vodka

3) Cranberries and Cut Spike Vodka

4) ) Kiwis and Cut Spike Vodka

5) Cranberries and Christian Brother's Brandy

Coconut and Cut Spike Rum

1) Cut Spike Rum and Coconut pieces went into this mix. The level to which the coconut became part of the rum caught me off guard. I could smell it before I'd even gotten it into my shot glass. The flavors of the rum are mostly coconut, but the finish has become a bit harsh. Also, the sweetness of the rum and the added sugar cubes merged rather well. 

I am rather satisfied with this one. It really tastes like fresh coconut meat. 

Fresh lemon, ginger, and Cut Spike Vodka

2) Cut Spike Vodka, fresh lemon slices, and fresh ground ginger made up this concoction. This one did not turn out as I had expected. The initial was not the fresh lemonade like lemon I had intended. The initial became mildly reminiscent of the artificial acridness of lemon scented dusting spray. The mid picked up with something really close to tasting like lemon but was a bit on the zesty side of the lemon peel. I couldn't detect the ginger in the flavors at all, but the finish and linger clearly had a burn caused by something other than the alcohol.

I'm not entirely happy with this one. I had wanted a mixture that I could substitute for lemon juice and ginger in the way of a traditional Japanese cold remedy. Who doesn't love a spiked cold remedy after all? In order to achieve that goal, I'm going to have to tweak the lemon to ginger ratio. Perhaps even, I should try and use only the lemon fruit or lemon peel. It just had too much lemon and not enough ginger for what I wanted. Alternatively though, I could add far more lemon and shoot for something limonchello-esque because I already nearly ended up with something pretty close. I really can't complain about mild limonchello as a result though.

Cranberries and Cut Spike Vodka

3) Cut Spike Vodka and hard cranberries mixed into this one. The cranberries hide in this one. I couldn't smell them at all. The initial weaved the sugar and the vodka together nicely. Then the taste of cranberries sneaked up on me. The cranberry flavors floated as smoke over sugary fire water, and it was delightful. Instead of bringing forward memories of fresh bog-picked cranberries, the flavors are more like the aftertaste you get from cranberry sauce. 

The result was unexpected on this one. I'm not sure how to use it, whether I want to drink it, or if I'm satisfied with it as a sipping drink. I essentially have "cranberry sauce vodka" now. Win? Maybe.

Kiwis and Cut Spike Vodka

4) Cut Spike Vodka and under-ripe kiwis were put into this one. I debated and debated opening this one after three months because of the use of soft fruits, but I held off and maintained my six-month plan. I'm rather regret not checking on it. This one did not turn out well. I can't smell kiwi or taste it. Instead there's an odd flavor on the finish that I've never encountered before. It's not unpleasant, sour, or funky, but it is not friendly.  

Next time, I will open up a kiwi-based mix earlier. I need to know if it would have benefited from less time. However, I do think it just plain needed more kiwi. The impact was too subtle.

Cranberries and Christian Brother's Brandy

5) Christian Brother's Brandy and cranberries were put in this one. Time smoothed out the brandy's already subdued bite. The sweetness masked the cranberries, but they added a nice touch of flair into the backdrop leaving you with just their memory on the linger. 

I'm rather satisfied with this one. Like some of the others, I'm not sure of its exact application, but the results are good. 

In conclusion, I think that the order I would place them is this:

☆☆☆☆☆) Rum and coconut - Way better than expected. 

☆☆☆☆) Brandy and cranberries - Smoothed out the brandy and added cranberry touches.

☆☆☆☆) Vodka, lemon, and ginger - Near limonchello with an extra burn.

☆☆☆) Vodka and cranberries - The cranberries are a bit too light.

☆☆) Vodka and kiwi - Just so odd, perhaps even rancid.

In another observation, I have found a place here that sells 氷砂糖 or literally "ice" sugar. Imagine something like large chunks of rock candy. I have this hunch that using sugar cubes is not as good for the mouth feel so I want to return to what is used in Umeshu, and ice sugar is just that. Although, I did have a discussion with an old lady in Japan that said you could add the sugar whenever, even post-infusion. I'm still not so sure about that. Our discussions focused on sugar as a sweetener and not necessarily as a way to alter the mouth feel, which I think it does.

A few weeks after cracking open this batch, I whipped up some more concoctions. I grabbed some really bizarre fruits this time, and I mixed a couple batches with varying degrees of coconut so I can find the right balance. Look forward to that post soon!