Salty plum soda is a strange drink you’ll only see on Vietnamese restaurant menus. Sometimes, Malaysian spots will offer a sweeter version, but that’s a pale imitation. After my first salty sip at Pho Pasteur seven years ago, I fell in love with the umami combination of sweet, sour and salty. The taste recalled the jar of fermenting plums sunning on my grandmother’s back porch. Whenever I visited, Nai Nai could be prevailed upon to soak a plum in a cup of hot water for me.

There are many salty plum detractors. Some are disturbed by the diarrhea-like consistency of plum bits swirling in their glass. Others simply prefer their beverages sweet. Personally, I like to ingest sodium in as many forms as possible.

The other day, I finally succeeded in making a glass of salty plum soda at home. It wasn’t hard.

1. I bought this tub of umeboshi (salty plum) two years ago, and it’s still good.
2. I like to freeze my umeboshi first, for maximum cool. It’s because I’m clinging to the feel of summer as long as possible.
3. Chop up the iced umeboshi into some tasty chunks.
4. Now add regular crushed ice. A beloved pal bought me a Japanese ice sphere maker, so my ice is gratuitously round. But not round for long, since it’s destined to be crushed in this ziploc bag.

Put it all in a tall glass, pour seltzer to the brim, and spoon in sugar to taste. Delicious.