Tag: cordial

Clementine and Lime Cordial

If, like us, you have piles of clementines hanging around after Christmas and you’re a bit fed up with the whole festive thing, you need to use them up fast! Here is an excellent way of using up the soft squidgy ones, using all their lovely scented sweetness. This would make a fabulous base for any number of refreshing drinks.

Clementine and Lime (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

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makes one bottle

– juice and zest of 6 clementines
– juice and zest of 2 limes
– 300g caster sugar
-300ml water

– place all the ingredients in a pan, bring to the boil and then simmer for 5-10 minutes until sticky.
– strain into a sterilised bottle.
– leave to cool, then cover and keep in the fridge.

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Lemon and Lime Cordial

I have no idea why I’ve always bought cordials, they’re so easy to make and homemade can only much more natural and therefore healthy than anything store bought. Citrus is one of Big S’s favourite flavours and since we’ve had colds hanging around for weeks I thought a big dose of vitamin C would do us some good. So my first foray into the homemade mixer world is lemon and lime.

This syrup/cordial is zingy and sweet, ideal as the base of a watery drink, or drizzled over cakes or slightly sharp fruit, or perhaps a great base for a cocktail. Inspired by a recipe from this month’s Jamie magazine, a bottle of this cordial will become a regular ingredient in our fridge, especially since Big S said it’s the nicest cordial she’s ever tasted 🙂

Lemon and Lime Cordial (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

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makes 500ml (multiply as necessary)

  • 1 lemon, juice and zest
  • 4 limes, juice and zest
  • 300ml caster sugar
  • 300ml water

– Zest the fruit with a vegetable peeler and place in a saucepan with the juice of the lemons and limes.

– Add the water and caster sugar.

– Heat and stir until all the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for five minutes until slightly syrupy.

– Pour into a sterilised bottle and keep in the fridge.

Red Berry Cordial

Due to the bad weather earlier in the summer, this was our first trip to a local ‘pick your own’. Sadly for them they hadn’t managed to make much grow this year, but did have plenty of berries, raspberries, loganberries, red currants… so we came away with far too many punnets of ripe red berries. Little S doesn’t even like berries, and I doubt even Big S could eat that many!

Some were scoffed straight away, some made jam and lots made this delicious, refreshing homemade cordial. It’s nothing like a shop-bought cordial, more a sweetened thick berry puree that tastes wonderful when diluted with sparkling water. Although make sure you remember it isn’t concentrated like the bought variety, so you’ll have to use almost half/half measures. Basically it’s late summer in a glass – yum!

Red Berry Cordial (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

makes 1 wine bottle full

  • 800g mixed berries ( I used, 200g red currants, 100g loganberries, 500g raspberries)
  • 350g caster sugar

– Sterilise a glass bottle

– Blend up the fruit with 100ml water

– Pass through a sieve, pressing the pulp and seeds to extract all the juice

– In a saucepan heat up the sugar with 100ml water, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.

– Pour the sugar syrup into the strained juice. Stir well.

– Pour into the glass bottle.

– Keep in the fridge and use within 2 weeks.