Cordial’ can mean several different things including:
- An person who is warm and friendly
- An alcoholic beverage
- A non-alcoholic fruit concentrate, also sometimes known as a squash
Although I like friendly people and I enjoy the ‘odd tipple’ of booze, the context for today’s recipe comes from the third option above.
This is a super-refreshing early summer drink. It will store in the fridge for a long time; simply add it to water (still or sparkling) and you’re ready to go. You could add whatever you want to that water including lemon, ice, vodka, more vodka…
There’s no special ratio of ingredients here – the more berries you use, the less honey you’ll need.
STRAWBERRY, RHUBARB AND GINGER CORDIAL RECIPE – INGREDIENTS
- Some rhubarb (we used 4 pieces)
- A bunch of berries (we used around 12)
- Ginger (we used about an inch, chopped fine)
- Enough water to cook the vegetables in (it’s ok if some stick out at first). We used around 1.5 cups.
- Honey to taste.
STRAWBERRY, RHUBARB AND GINGER CORDIAL RECIPE – INSTRUCTIONS
- Chop the berries, rhubarb and ginger. Toss all into a pan and add water.
- Bring the solids to a boil; cook until soft (a few minutes).
- Use a stick blender or a food processor (with care; contents will be hot) and puree the mixture.
- Return puree to pan. Simmer and reduce by 1/3 to 1/2.
- Strain through a fine sieve (don’t throw those solids out – we’ll share a great recipe for them tomorrow!)
- Allow mixture to cool.
- Add honey to slightly sweeten. The taste will be intense which is ok as you will dilute it when you serve it.
To serve your cordial, mix 1 part of it with 3-5 parts water (or vodka…)!
And that’s all there is to it! Do you make cordials? What do you put in them?