A distinctly Japanese plum gin and tonic with a whiff of the sea. This Japanese plum liqueur cocktail with a seaweed-infused syrup is just the thing to take the edge off a long winter’s day. For a booze-free alternative, simply dilute some syrup with tonic to taste. Serves 1. For the syrup (makes about 250ml). ½ sheet kombu (about 3g). 1 slice lemon. 1 fresh thyme sprig. 125g caster sugar. For the drink. 40ml umeshu liqueur – we use Akashi-Tai.
10ml London dry gin – we use Akashi’s 135 East. 15ml seaweed, lemon and thyme syrup (see above and method). Tonic water, to top. First make the syrup. Soak the seaweed in 125ml water for an hour (or longer, if you want a stronger seaweed flavour), then strain into a saucepan. Add the lemon, thyme and sugar, then bring gently to a simmer, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. When the first bubbles appear, turn down the heat to low and simmer gently for five minutes.
