3 Refreshing Fruit & Herb Cordial Recipes

I love how alive everything is in the summer. The flora and fauna are out and about, and so are my friends, making last minute get-togethers far more common this time of year. There’s a certain kind of magic in hot summer evenings spent sharing conversations on a patio while an ice-cold refreshment condensates in your hand. I like to keep a few tricks up my sleeve so that I can be ready when the moment strikes—tricks like cordial recipes, which I have been making and enjoying as a part of my home bar repertoire since last summer.

Tips From a Bartender

Last summer, one of the fancy cocktail bars in my neighborhood put a drink on their menu featuring a lemon cordial. I had heard of cordials but didn’t really understand what they were. I thought they must be similar to schnapps or liqueurs. The bar is one of those places where they make all their own syrups and ice, and dehydrate the fruit for their garnishes in-house, so I asked the bartender about the cordial. He explained that it was one of the components they make in-house, and then graciously went on to describe the process they use: muddling sugar with citrus fruits and then finishing with cold water in equal measure to the sugar. 

How Cordials Work

As I reflected on this method I became excited by the process. I have always made flavored syrups using a hot water infusion. This method is effective, but using hot water essentially cooks the ingredients you use to flavor the syrup. The volatile oils of fresh fruits and herbs can lose some nuance and become more intense with heat application. Using cold water is paramount in preserving the precious volatile oil profile of both fruits and herbs for the following recipes (Green, 2002). 

There are a few things that help us to get the most out of this cold infusion process. We are using a considerable amount of fruit and herbs in these cordial recipes, which allows the more delicate complexity of these fresh components to shine. Another helper in this process is the grit of the sugar crystals, which masticate the plant materials, creating a greater surface area for the transfusion of the plant’s essence into solution during the maceration process. Moisture from the fruit helps to dissolve the sugar, and the cold water does a fine job of dissolving the slurry into solution, preserving the complexity of flavor from our fresh ingredients.  

Keeping it Fresh

I wanted to add some preservation power to my cordial recipes so that they could be kept on hand for use by beverage enthusiasts and dabblers alike. To accomplish this, I added citric acid to my recipe, following home food preservation guidelines. If you do not have citric acid on hand, this step is not necessary, but its addition can extend the shelf life from 1 week to 1 month under refrigeration.  

Citric acid works to preserve food products by acidifying them. I bought some on Amazon, and keep it in my pantry to extend the shelf life of my cordials. Citric acid is also used to preserve the color of fresh cut or frozen fruits and will help to keep the brilliant colors of these cordials bold as well (LaBorde et al., 2019). By adding ¼ teaspoon of citric acid per pint of cordial, we can enjoy these recipes for much longer than the 1 week they normally last under refrigeration.

The Fruit and Cordial Recipes

I love the cordial recipes shared below in this article because they are so simple and versatile. You can add them to cocktails, iced teas, lemonades, and sparkling water to punch up the flavor and create a custom botanical experience. They are also incredibly beautiful, with colors that really pop, so they please the eye and the palate. I hope that these cordial recipes help you bring a little extra magic to your summer gatherings, this year and beyond.

Recipe Notes

It should be noted that when available organic herbs and produce are preferable. Clean produce with baking soda and water prior to use. Rinse herbs in a bowl of water to remove any dirt or grit prior to use.

Cordials can be made with honey instead of sugar, and I am normally a proponent of honey as a sweetener in syrups and teas. I think the rich complex flavor of honey often adds so much to herbal concoctions and rounds the flavors out in the most complimentary way. However, I chose cane sugar for these recipes specifically because it lacks its own flavor profile, allowing the fresh fruit and herb flavors to shine. 

If you choose to make these recipes with honey, the added richness and complexity could mask the flavors of the fresh fruit and herbs. Honey is also sweeter than sugar, and should be reduced to ⅔ cups from the 1 cup sugar called for in the recipes. Rather than muddling ingredients with honey in a bowl, use a jar or a similar vessel with tall sides, for greater ease and reduced mess.

Shaken or Stirred Applications

There is a bevy of applications (pun intended) for these cordials. I love adding the Lime and Mint Cordial into sparkling water. It is so crisp, refreshing, and lip-smacking! Start with one ounce of cordial per 8 oz of sparkling water, and adjust to suit your personal taste. 

The Blueberry and Basil Cordial would be great mixed into a lemonade or iced tea. Start with the same ratio of one ounce of cordial per cup of tea or lemonade and adjust to suit your taste. You can mix the cordial into a whole pitcher or you can mix it per glass.

The Mandarin and Ginger Cordial would be an incredible swap for the sugar in an old fashioned. Fill a rocks glass with ice, pour 2 oz whisky of choice, ½ oz of Mandarin Ginger Cordial, a couple dashes of angostura bitters, and stir to combine before enjoying. The flavors of the mandarin and ginger will compliment the complexity of the whiskey beautifully.

In Closing,

While I’m admittedly a bit of a beverage enthusiast, I think we can all agree that nothing says reprieve from a hot summer’s day like an ice-cold beverage in your hand. By utilizing this cold infusion method, you can preserve the juicy punch of fresh fruit and herbs. Whether you fancy teas, lemonades, or something a little stronger, these refreshing fruit and herb cordials will help you put a new spin on your old favorites. Colorful and aromatic botanical cordials are a great way to entertain company or to simply give yourself some refreshment on a hot summer afternoon or lazy summer night. 

REFERENCES

Green, J. (2002). The herbal medicine-maker’s handbook: A home manual. Crossing Press. 

LaBorde, L., Zepp, M., & Hirneisen, A. (2019). Let’s preserve: Ingredients used in home food preservation. Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-ingredients-used-in-home-food-preservation