Plums are the fruit of the wide ranging genus Prunus, which includes old world plums, new world plums, and apricots. Plums are grown around the world, and are used for various culinary uses, including fermentation into wine, distillation into [ingredient=brandy brandy], pickling (in Japan called umeboshi), drying (dried plums are called prunes, which are being renamed dried plums to avoid the connotation that prunes are for old people needing a laxative) and salt-curing.
Most of the common plums in the grocery store are Prunus domesticus. Some other less common varieties are the Damson plum (P. insititia), and the sloe, or blackthorn plum (P. spinosa), which is used to make [ingredient=sloe-gin sloe gin]. In France, the Mirabelle (P. x domestica ssp. syriaca) is grown in the Alsace region of France, and it used to produce the fruit brandy of the same name.
Plums come in a range of colors, from green to yellow to red, purple and bluish-black.
Plums are grown on trees, like all stone fruit, and sometimes have a waxy coating or bloom on the skin. Like all stone fruit, the pit contains cyanide-forming compounds, so care should be taken macerating pits in alcohol.
Some popular cocktails containing Plum
- La Virgen — Reposado Tequila, Lime juice, Grenadine, Plum, Rose water
- Ume Klug — Gin, Junmai Sake, Simple syrup, Lemon juice, Plum
- Gascon Smash — Armagnac, Plum eau-de-vie, Plum, Lemon juice, Mint
- Bento on the Rock — Shochu, Umeshu, Peychaud's Bitters, Salt Solution, Plum, Rice vinegar
- Plum The Depths — Gin, Bitters, Plum, Club soda, Egg white, Lemon juice, Honey syrup, Clove Syrup