Relax Choya
Relax Choya : 60% Green Tea, 40% Choya
(name & portions as printed on Choya bottles)
This is my first alcoholic drink recipe featuring my favourite liqueur- Choya (Japanese plum wine). My love affair with Choya started when my good friend Shin introduced us to it when we were in uni. It was a girls’ night out at Shin’s home, and she whipped out a bottle of Choya in the middle of the night to treat us. Unlike most alcoholic drinks, Choya tastes sweet and not very “alcoholic”, but do not be misled by its unintimidating taste and drink like some soda water, because the alcoholic content is 15%. You have been warned, ok? So how about diluting it with some green tea to make ‘Relax Choya’? Since wine is so expensive in Singapore, this is a great way to ration it too :p
Ingredients
(makes 1 glass)- Concentrated green tea: 2 tsp green tea powder dissolved in 60ml hot water
(note: you can use green tea bag if you do not have green tea powder)
- 40ml Choya (梅酒)
- 1 to 2 Choya plums
- Ice cubes
- Green tea powder, for garnishing (optional)Directions
1. In a small glass, add the Choya plums, ice cubes, green tea and choya. Stir well. Sprinkle some green tea powder as garnishing if desired. That’s it! Enjoy!
(I like to enjoy my Relax Choya by taking 2 big sips, then wait for the ice to melt, stir and drink the milder last bits)
Notes
1. Instead of brewing the green tea, you can use canned sugarless green tea for convenience.
2. Psst… do you know that you can buy Choya really cheaply in Japan’s airports? There is a duty-free shop in Tokyo Narita Airport called “Tax-Free Akihabara”, where Choya (among other Japanese products & wines) are sold really cheaply. I got this bottle for less than S$15!
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds refreshing! But is it sourish sweet? I have the impression that plums are sour. But then I might be wrong…
Gosh, you reminded me that I still have half a bottle stashed in my fridge. :P
It’s boring to drink alone. :(
Never have Choya before but yours sure looks very refreshing!
Hi-5^. I love Choya too but my slacker version of green tea is bottled Pokka. Tastes very very good. Sometimes I mix with 7-up. Truly a ladies’ drink.
I tried Choya once and I like it! Not this flavour though…it’s pretty sweet but that’s deceptive for its alcoholic level :D
Ning – it’s sweet-sweet, I don’t find any trace of sour in the drink :)
didally – hehe … can I help you finish? :wink:
LCOM – ah … u must try!! Choya on the rocks is nice too, hee
Josephine – Oh, why didn’t I think of the slacker version? Hee… I shall use pokka green tea too sometimes ;) And yes, I totally agree that it’s a ladies’ drink :up:
pablopabla – Yes, the sweetness is very, very deceptive indeed :P :D
i used to drink a lot of this when i was based in tokyo….im craving for this now :mrgreen: :$:
Haven’t had choya in ages. I don’t recall it being particularly sweet (maybe there are different recipes by brand?), but the special cylindrical bottle with the massive green plums was definitely it. Now I’m going to have to bye a bottle, for investigative purposes only. :lol: And I will have a care; its kick was not lost on me. :mrgreen:
Oh green tea! My family normally mix it with ice cream soda. Perhaps when I have the money I will get a nice good bottle of it and mix it with green tea.
Oh mein gott. So cheap? Damn no one I know going to Japan.
lol….btw where to get choya plums ?Do you used the plums from the choya wine bottle ? I would like to try this refreshing recipe but not sure where to buy the plums… pls advise :D
Hi Pearlyn, yes! I used the plums from the choya wine bottle :-)
hi,
great post.
Just a note, in case you are unaware… Choya is the brand, another famous one is Takara. but the wine is actually Umeshu – Plum wine.
I love it on the rocks!!! :p
Hi jacque, thanks for the info :-) I luv it on the rocks too, but sometimes got to ration it, hee
Hi All,
This is a very nice article and as most others here I also love Umeshu. There are two large industrial makers in Japan Choya and Takara. Their Umeshu is rather sweet and based on white liqueur (industrial alcohol without own flavor).
However, there are more than 300 private labels in Japan. Umeshu can be made based on Sake, Shochu, Brandy or white liqueur. Depending on the alcohol base as well as the mix of other ingredients such as sugar, honey, brown sugar, green tea, ginger, etc. you get very different result.
These Umeshu range from sour to sweet or from smooth to bitter. Colors can be white or very intense. I am so fascinated by all these private labels that I started collecting more information about this. Please feel free to click on my name to check my portal on private Umeshu labels.
Let’s have fun drinking umeshu.
I recently was given a bottle of Choya ume liquer. We opened it last night and enjoyed the taste. I was wondering if it keeps very long once opened. Also, does it, after opened need to be kept in the refrigerator.
Thanks.
Ken
Hi Ken, sorry for my late reply. I refrigerate mine for quite a long time after opening.
was trying to figure out how to drink Choya, Lots of input… will get back if I get a nice kick
freddie