Plum-carving Wine

Plum-carving Wine

　　Plum-carving Wine

　　Plum-carving Wine, produced in Eryuan County, Dali, is a low-alcohol sweet wine made from the local specialty “plum carving.” Plum carving uses salted plums as the raw material. First, the salted plums are soaked in lime water, then taken out and dried. Next, a carving knife is used to carve continuous, meandering floral designs into the plum flesh, and the pit is pushed out through the gaps, leaving the plum hollow like threads. It is then lightly pressed into a chrysanthemum shape—serrated plum slices—which are placed in a basin of water with a little salt added to reduce the sourness of the plums. They are then transferred to a clay jar and soaked for several months in high-quality brown sugar and honey. Once the plum slices turn golden yellow, they can be taken out and eaten. Plum-carving Wine is quite popular in Lijiang’s bars and is also known as “Dark Soul 0 Wine” or “- Wine.” Although it has a low alcohol content—usually around 20+ proof—it has a strong aftereffect. A few fellow townsmen of mine (from Qinghai, who are heavy drinkers) couldn’t handle more than about 500 grams. So ladies, please drink with caution... Also, never mix it with other types of alcohol—that makes things much worse...