Cordials are nostalgic and remind us of simpler times. A fast paced life is no reason to forego the finer things – like how to make homemade fruit and berry cordials! In this post, you will find three recipes which will show you how to make cordials with fruit, berries, or citrus!

I have been wanting to publish How to Make Homemade Fruit and Berry Cordials for so long! But, you see, whenever I think of a recipe I want to publish, I usually take a look at the whole picture first. The taste is important. And the ease and/or accessability of the recipe and ingredients is important too. But, I take it a step further.

In my mind, I need to completely plan out the recipe in its entirety. And, that, Dear Reader, means, I have to know how it’s going to look and how I’m going to present it. Believe it or not, I place so much thought into how I’m going to photograph a recipe. Not only do I want to capture the beauty of the dish, but I want to provide you with clear images of what the finished product should look like.

Before I go any further, I will point out that making a cordial is easy, but does require a little time. If you’re in a hurry for fast and easy summer drinks, you could save the cordial for later and try my Virgin Mojito or my super delicious Lemonade!

MY BLOGGING THOUGHT PROCESS

So, I think about what bowl or plate I will use. Does the photograph need a spoon or a fork? Should that fork be polished and shiny? Or should it be dull and tarnished? Do I want bright light or a dull, darkened feel? What colour napkin or tea towel would work best with the place setting? Do the colours compete with or compliment each other? What garnishes do I need? Does the dish need to be elevated? Should I show the dish with sides, if applicable? The list of questions goes on and on.

Now, with all of that said, let me tell you why I have decided to hold off on publishing this cordial recipe until now. The reason is simple. I needed to have the perfect bottle with the perfect pull tab sealing lids. After a long search, I found the right type and size. Finally, I feel like the deliciousness of the recipe itself can be well captured and ready to publish.

Some call me crazy. Some even call me obsessive. I just say that I know what I want when I want it and I refuse to settle for less. And, don’t you think those bottles were worth the wait? They’re perfect, aren’t they!?

WHAT ARE CORDIALS?

Let’s get right into it! I’ll start by defining a cordial. There are several definitions for the word cordial, one of which is a non-alcoholic fruit drink concentrate. A cordial also refers to a medicine in liquid form that is taken orally. And, lastly, it can also refer to a chocolate that has a liquid filling or center.

Some people have a different name for what I call a cordial. They call is squash. Squash is defined as a non-alcoholic concentrated syrup used in beverage making. It is usually fruit-flavoured, made from fruit juice, water, and sugar or a sugar substitute. Modern squashes may also contain food colouring and additional flavouring. Some traditional squashes contain herbal extracts, most notably elderflower and ginger.

Squash (cordial) is mixed with a certain amount of water or carbonated water before drinking. The amount of water added is to taste, with the squash becoming less strong the more it is diluted.

Citrus fruits, like oranges, limes, or lemons, or a blend of fruits and berries are commonly used as the base of squash. Traditional squashes are most commonly flavoured with ginger or elderflower.

MEMORIES OF CORDIAL

For me, a cordial most certainly is always a refreshing, sweet, homemade drink. A part of my memory tells me that my grandmother used to prepare elderflower cordial, but I can’t confirm it. I seem to recall an elderflower tree in her front yard, but the memory is scattered and broken.

The best memory I have of it is from one of my childhood favourite books. If you’ve read Anne of Green Gables, you might be able to recall her love of a raspberry cordial. In chapter 17, when Diana comes for tea, and ends up drinking glasses of what she thought was cordial, but turned out to be currant wine – that was always my favourite part of the book!

You can just imagine how that turned out! Poor Anne; she was trying so hard to act the grown up and to impress. But, after Diana becomes innocently drunk, Anne is tarnished with being a girl of bad influence.

Now that I’m thinking about it, I wonder if I can get my hands on a copy of the book? Maybe I’ll re-watch the movie with Megan Follows and see it play out on screen instead. Surely, I’ll fix myself a cordial to sip as I watch.

STORING CORDIALS

Once you put in all of that steeping and straining effort, you’ll want your delicious cordial to last as long as it takes you to drink all of it. So, with that said, I highly recommend keeping your storage bottle or jar as clean as possible.

When I say sterilize the jar, I’m not just being overly cautious. The cleaner and more sterile the jar or bottle, the less likely it is that your cordial will spoil. And, keep it in the fridge. Keep it cold and keep it sealed for long-lasting results.

If you’re interested, you can get the exact bottles that I’m using on Amazon. The bottles are quite large, but will hold all of your cordial. I have four of the jars, but that’s only because I wanted to showcase the recipe using different berries and fruits.

Following, you’ll find 3 different recipes. These will each showcase one type of cordial. The first is a berry cordial. Any berry will work for this recipe. The second is a fruit cordial. I used peaches, but you can use any stone or kernel fruit such as apples, grapes, plums, or cherries.

Finally, there’s a citrus recipe. Citrus acts differently in a recipe and is certainly stronger in terms of flavour. So, things need to be changed up a bit for that one. Okay, let’s get to it!

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