Summer shu-making

A stop in to see Ioanna and Hisashi one night times in nicely with the 1 year anniversary of Pelican Burger, as well as the 1 year anniversary of their first attempt at making ume-shu. A handful of friends are around, and we're drinking shu late into the night ... much fun! and this is all that's left:



but it inspired us the following weekend to meet at Ionna's and start on the next batch for next year's party. First we pick up some supplies, including bottles, rock sugar, white liquor and various fruits;



for the ume's, we're doing 2 different varieties. One a little sweeter, and another trying out pricking the ume's before placing them in the jar, to see if this boosts the flavor.



Once the fruit was pricked it was piled into the jar and topped with the rock sugar and then in goes the white liquor ...



We also did a pot of cherry and a pot of lemon-shu.



We all cheer's to our efforts ....



and Ioanna makes a plate of Shin Sapporo blue cheese, ricotta and dried tomato. mmmmm



It's been so hard looking at these shu's developing up on the shelf but knowing we have to wait a year before we can savour the hard labour, so we decided to make a new one each month, so that next summer there will be a new one to drink each month ....