maesil-ju
{{Short description|Korean plum wine}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox beverage
| name = Maesil-ju
| image = Maesilju (plum liquor) 2.jpg
| caption =
| type = Plum wine
| abv = 10-35%
| proof =
| manufacturer =
| distributor =
| origin = Korea
| introduced =
| discontinued =
| colour =
| flavour =
| ingredients = Maesil (plums)
| variants =
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}}
{{Infobox Korean name
| title = Korean name
| caption =
| hangul = 매실주
| hanja = 梅實酒
| rr = maesil-ju
| mr = maesil-chu
| koreanipa = {{IPA|ko|mɛ.ɕil.t͈ɕu|}}
}}
Maesil-ju ({{Korean|hangul=매실주|hanja=梅實酒}}), also called plum wine, plum liquor, or plum liqueur, is an alcoholic drink infused with maesil (plums). The exact origins of Maesil-ju are unknown, but it is thought to date back to the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392).{{Cite web|url=https://travellingsouthkorea.com/what-is-maeshilju/|title=What Is Maeshil-ju|website=www.travellingsouthkorea.com|language=en|access-date=22 August 2022}}{{Cite web|url=http://stdweb2.korean.go.kr/search/View.jsp?idx=113322|title=maesil-ju|website=Standard Korean Language Dictionary|publisher=National Institute of Korean Language|script-title=ko:매실주(梅實酒)|access-date=22 March 2017|archive-date=23 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323233545/http://stdweb2.korean.go.kr/search/View.jsp?idx=113322|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=http://nwasianweekly.com/2010/12/10-asian-food-makeovers-for-your-holiday-party/|title=10 Asian food makeovers for your holiday party|last=Nguyen|first=Stacy|date=22 December 2010|website=Northwest Asian Weekly|access-date=23 March 2017}}{{Cite book|title=Science and Technology of Fruit Wine Production|last1=Joshi|first1=V. K.|last2=Panesar|first2=P. S.|last3=Rana|first3=V. S.|last4=Kaur|first4=S.|publisher=Academic Press|year=2017|isbn=9780128008508|editor-last=Kosseva|editor-first=Maria R.|location=London|pages=49|language=English|chapter=Science and Technology of Fruit Wines: An Overview|editor-last2=Joshi|editor-first2=V. K.|editor-last3=Panesar|editor-first3=P. S.|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWOdBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA49}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2012/11/db-eats-bibigo/|title=db Eats: Bibigo|last=Shaw|first=Lucy|date=20 November 2012|website=The Drinks Business|access-date=23 March 2017}}
Ingredients
Maesil-ju is made with maesil ({{Korean|hangul=매실|hanja=梅實|labels=no}}; "plums"), preferably ripe hwangmae ({{Korean|hangul=황매|hanja=黃梅|labels=no}}; "yellow plums"), which are yellowish in color, fragrant and firm.{{Cite web|url=http://stdweb2.korean.go.kr/search/View.jsp?idx=112622|title=maesil|website=Standard Korean Language Dictionary|publisher=National Institute of Korean Language|script-title=ko:매실(梅實)|access-date=22 March 2017|archive-date=23 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323233723/http://stdweb2.korean.go.kr/search/View.jsp?idx=112622|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=http://stdweb2.korean.go.kr/search/View.jsp?idx=380600|title=hwangmae|website=Standard Korean Language Dictionary|publisher=National Institute of Korean Language|script-title=ko:황매(黃梅)|access-date=22 March 2017|archive-date=23 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323142712/http://stdweb2.korean.go.kr/search/View.jsp?idx=380600|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.nongmin.com/article/ar_detail.htm?ar_id=217321|title=새콤달콤 향긋한 '매실청·매실주' 제대로 알고 담그세요|last=손|first=수정|date=20 May 2013|work=The Farmers Newspaper|access-date=22 March 2017|language=ko|issn=1227-5778}} Unripe cheongmae ({{Korean|hangul=청매|hanja=靑梅|labels=no}}; "green plums")—firmer and less fragrant—can also be used.{{Cite web|url=http://stdweb2.korean.go.kr/search/View.jsp?idx=329225|title=cheongmae|website=Standard Korean Language Dictionary|publisher=National Institute of Korean Language|script-title=ko:청매(靑梅)|access-date=22 March 2017|archive-date=23 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323142630/http://stdweb2.korean.go.kr/search/View.jsp?idx=329225|url-status=dead}} Bruised or over-ripened plums may make the wine cloudy. Damaged fruits should be avoided, as direct contact of plum seeds with alcohol may produce a small amount of prussic acid, due to the amygdalin in plum seeds.{{Cite news|url=http://www.hankookilbo.com/v/3baa02efff6b4731bcbcf6702599226d|title=청매실 독성 논란, 진실은?|last=권|first=대익|date=21 June 2016|work=Hankook Ilbo|access-date=22 March 2017|language=ko}} However, toxicity vanishes after a year of maturation. Ripe plums have much lower amygdalin content.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}
Typically, {{Convert|3|l}} of soju (of 20% ABV) and {{Convert|100-150|g}} of sugar is used per {{Convert|1|kg}} of plums. Sugar can be substituted with slightly more honey, and soju of 20% ABV can be substituted by {{Convert|2|l}} soju (or any other unflavored spirit) of 30% ABV and {{Convert|1|l}} of water.
Preparation
File:Maesilju (plum liquor) (cropped).jpg
Plums are washed in cold water and dried on a tray for a day. Dried plums and soju are added to a sterilized glass or earthenware jug and infused for about 100 days. The fruits are then removed by sieving, and sugar is added to the plum wine. The wine can be consumed immediately, but three to six months of maturation will greatly enrich the wine's flavour.
Commerce
Popular maesil-ju products include Mae hwa soo,{{Cite web|url=http://www.jinrousa.com/products|title=MAE HWA SOO|website=HiteJinro|script-title=ko:매화수|access-date=22 March 2017}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Matchsoon,{{Cite web|url=http://bohae.co.kr/en/product/product.html?num=3|title=Matchsoon|website=Bohae|script-title=ko:매취순|access-date=22 March 2017|archive-date=14 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414153546/http://bohae.co.kr/en/product/product.html?num=3|url-status=dead}} and Seoljungmae.{{Cite web|url=http://www.lotte.co.kr/eng/02_bussiness/food4.jsp|title=Seoljungmae|website=Lotte Chilsung|script-title=ko:설중매|access-date=22 March 2017|archive-date=30 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530061609/http://www.lotte.co.kr/eng/02_bussiness/food4.jsp|url-status=dead}}
See also
- Maesil-cha, plum tea
- Maesil-cheong, plum syrup
- Umeshu, Japanese plum liqueur
- Suanmeitang, Chinese plum beverage