Lemon Wine
Lemon Wine is a very rewarding way of making use of winter’s abundant harvest of lemons. It will be ready by summer, in time to enjoy as a refreshing chilled drink. It can also be used to make fortifying vitamin C-laden hot toddy’s the following winter. Over time, it will age, becoming mellower and smoother.
Called Lemon-Shu in Japanese, it’s one of the many types of fruit liquors made at home throughout the year in the Setouchi. The most well-known is Plum Wine (Ume-Shu). Shochu, a distilled liquor with a neutral flavor and zero residual sugar, is the base liquor used to make Lemon Wine. Typically, a generic shochu called White Liquor is used. An excellent alternative is a branded shochu, as it will enhance the wine’s final flavor. Other clear liquors like vodka also work well, albeit shochu offers the benefit of being lower in calories. Just be sure to use a liquor that has an alcohol content of at least 35%, as this will help prevent spoilage.
Lemon Wine
Remon-Shu : レモン酒
Makes about 1 quart (1 liter)
Main Foods
Lemons, 7 lemons (850 g)
Shochu or Other Clear Liquor (ABV ≥ 35%), 4 cups (900 ml)
Seasonings
Rock Sugar, 1/2 to 2/3 lb. (200-300 g), to taste — See Substitutions
Directions
Prepare a 1 1/2 quart (1.5 liter) glass jar, preferably with a wide mouth top, by sanitizing it. When done, pour in a small amount (1 to 2 tablespoons) of the shochu or other base liquor being used, cover, and shake well, making sure the liquor completely swirls around the inside and top of the jar. This will further cleanse it. Pour out the liquor.
Prepare the lemons. If not using chemical-free, organically grown lemons, thoroughly wash them. Using a peeler, peel the lemons, taking off only their outer yellow layer of skin and as little of the white pith as possible, as this is a source of bitterness. Scrape off any large bits of pith on the the peel with a paring knife. Next, cut off the white pith remaining on each fruit without breaking the membrane too much to make it easier to strain later on. Discard the pith. If the lemons are big, cut them in half. Otherwise, leave them.
Place half of the rock sugar in the bottom of the jar and layer half of the lemons on top. Repeat one more time. Place the pieces of peel on top of the final layer of sugar. If the peel has been cut into small pieces, put them in a tea bag or piece of clean cheesecloth to make them easier to remove later.
Pour the liquor into the jar, seal tightly, and store in a cool, dark place. Shake daily for the first week to disperse the sugar. After a week, remove the peel, using a clean utensil.
The wine is ready to drink after the third week but will gain depth of flavor over time. After three months, remove the pieces of fruit, using a clean utensil, and discard or save for another use. If you want a perfectly clear wine, strain it through a paper filter. The wine should keep indefinitely given its high alcohol content. To keep it from aging too much, store in the refrigerator.
Note
The recipe is based on the volume of White Liquor sold in cartons in Japan. They come in 900 ml and 1.8 liter sizes. For the latter, double the recipe. If you’re using a bottle of branded shochu, which is typically 720 ml, adjust the recipe as follows:
Lemons, 6 (680 g)
Rock Sugar or Honey, 1/3 to 1/2 lb. (160-240 g)
Serve
Lemon Wine can be enjoyed as a refreshing drink on a hot day or as a warming one when the weather is colder. For all the preparations below, you can add slices of fresh lemon, a spoon of honey, some grated fresh ginger, and/or a pinch of sea salt.
Straight-Up or On The Rocks: Drink the wine straight-up after chilling it or pour it into a glass filled with lots of ice. Just be careful not to drink too much, as the alcohol content is high.
Mizuwari: Mizuwari means “cut with water” and is a popular way of drinking spirits in Japan. Mix one part Lemon Wine with one to three parts cold water in a glass. This will bring the alcohol content down to a more wine-like level. You can use chilled tea instead of cold water. The drink can be served with our without ice.
Lemon Sour. Similar to the above but mixed with soda instead of cold water.
Oyuwari. Lemon Wine can also be enjoyed cut with hot water or tea, called “oyuwari.”
Substitutions
Rock sugar is typically used to make fruit-infused liquors because it dissolves slowly, thus working to extract the lemons’ flavor more fully than fine-grain sugars. Honey is a great substitute because it too dissolves slowly. It also provides the benefits of being a natural form of sugar while adding its own interesting notes of flavor, which have a strong affinity with that of lemons. Substitute honey for rock sugar on a 1:1 or slightly higher ratio, given that honey’s sugar content is generally around 80%.