Hello everyone,
I’m Kitamura, store manager at our Kamakura location.

Today, I’d like to share a dessert recipe that’s perfect for the lingering summer heat:
Vanilla ice cream topped with ume syrup made using beet sugar.

 
Beet sugar pairs beautifully with dairy

Ume syrup made with beet sugar has a toasty richness, much like brown sugar. It pairs wonderfully with dairy products. Whether poured over vanilla ice cream or mixed with milk or soy milk, it creates a rich, lassi-like taste that’s absolutely delicious.

Sweet with Fully-ripened Nanko, Bitter with NK14

The peach-like sweetness of Fully-ripened Nanko combined with the depth of beet sugar creates a syrup that’s fruity and mild in acidity, perfect for those who prefer a sweeter taste. Topped with kinako (roasted soybean flour), the dessert gains an extra nutty note, transforming vanilla ice cream into a slightly Japanese-style, indulgent treat.

On the other hand, NK14 offers a unique, herbal-like complexity with a touch of pleasant bitterness. Its balanced acidity and prune-like richness create a deep, mature flavor. Adding crushed unsalted almonds brings out their nutty aroma, which pairs beautifully with the tartness of NK14.

【Ingredients for 1 serving】

・100ml vanilla ice cream

・15ml ume syrup

・A sprinkle of kinako or 2–3 crushed unsalted almonds

When paired with vanilla ice cream, ume syrup made with beet sugar looks similar to kuromitsu (black sugar syrup), yet the distinct character of ume makes it a one-of-a-kind dessert.

Choya offers a total of 25 ume syrup combinations, and there are still many recipes and serving ideas we haven’t introduced yet. We look forward to sharing more ways to enjoy ume in the future.

This time, I featured Fully-ripened Nanko × Beet sugar and NK14 × Beet sugar ume syrups. We invite you to give them a try—NK14 is available only at our Kamakura store.

We look forward to welcoming you to Kamakura.
Let’s enjoy the power of ume together to get through the summer heat!