By A Tart of Ice and Fire
Posted Thursday, June 23rd, 2016
Cordial is a middle English word meaning 'belonging to the heart' and stemming from the latin cor-, cord- 'heart'.
I find this rather apt as the drink is, indeed, very close to my heart for reasons of both taste and nostalgia. In the UK (and indeed in Norway where it is called 'saft') cordial is freely available in shops to be bought from mass producing factories. It often goes by the name 'squash', which I imagine can be rather confusing for those of you used to a squash being a vegetable, or simply 'dilute'.
But, if you ask me - and I'm well aware that you didn't - nothing is better than home made cordial. My grandmother used to make my absolute favourite cordial when I was a child, elderflower, and I was thrilled to discover an elder tree in my very own garden which I had managed to not notice for an entire year!
I love the taste of elderflower cordial; I lost my grandmother when I was sixteen and, although we were not particularly close, she was my final remaining grandparent so I hold the memory dear. I started making elderflower cordial last summer when I finally noticed the tree and obviously it's made me immensely happy!
Unfortunately it isn't yet elderflower season here in Norway, that comes later in July, but I am in the midst of my other cordial obsession right now and that is rhubarb. So here I am, ready to share my recipes for both elderflower cordial, and the rhubarb and ginger variety in the hopes that perhaps my obsession can become yours in turn. The really good thing about home made cordial? You know exactly what's in it!
Rhubarb and Ginger Cordial
Ingredients:
rhubarb
root ginger
water
750 g Sugar
75 ml Lemon Juice
The first step is to locate some rhubarb, cut off as much as you can before the owner notices (just kidding! Please do ask first if you aren't getting it from your own garden or buying it at the store), and be sure to remove the leaves. You do not want to be eating the leaves!
Chop into smallish pieces and place in a large pan, then add as much chopped root ginger as you think you're going to like the taste of (for this is how I cook, I'm afraid we'll have to roll with it!) and add just enough water to almost cover the pile. Place it on a low heat until the juices start to come from the rhubarb (this can take a while), and then turn up the heat and continue cooking until it's all completely soft. At this stage it doesn't matter too much if the mixture boils but I'd avoid it anyway, just to be on the safe side.
I then strain the mixture through a sieve in batches, pressing the mix to get as much juice through as possible. Doing it this way will make your mix somewhat less clear than it could be as I like to go for more juice over clarity of the end product. So I then run the juice through a jelly bag and finish by placing the strained rhubarb in the jelly bag and hanging it overnight to get the final liquid through.
Then the next day is cordial day! For each litre of juice that you've managed to get, add 750g sugar (caster) and 75ml lemon juice. Heat gently while stirring to dissolve the sugar and do not under any circumstances let that shizzle boil! If it boils you'll be left with an interesting and delightfully useless syrup instead of glorious cordial.
When the sugar has dissolved, pour the cordial into sterilised bottles and leave to cool before placing the lids.
It keeps very nicely in the fridge for months at a time, although it might require a shake from now and then, and it freezes wonderfully. You will want to serve it at about 1 part cordial to 8 parts water, but obviously do experiment and adjust for taste. You can also use undiluted cordial to make your own homemade jelly (jello for you colonial types). Enjoy!
Elderflower Cordial
Ingredients:
25 elderflower heads
3 lemons
1 orange
1.5 litres of water
1 kg sugar
1 tsp citric acid
Makes 2 litres
Collect 25 elderflower heads in a plastic bag, be careful not to squash them, and then place them in a bowl with the finely grated zest of three lemons and 1 orange. Set aside the juice from the citrus fruits (about 150ml), you'll need it tomorrow!
Bring 1.5 litres of water to the boil and then pour over the elderflowers and zest, cover and leave overnight to infuse. Now, this stage of the cordial does not smell too wonderful. Be prepared, it's going to be wonderful in the end!
The next day, strain the liquid into a saucepan and then add 1kg of sugar and the citrus juice from the day before. If you want you can also add a heaped teaspoon of citric acid as this can help preserve your cordial for longer.
Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, and make sure it doesn't boil!
The pour into sterilised bottles and enjoy with the same 1 part to 8 parts (or whatever suits you best) ratio and keep the cordial refrigerated.
About the Author:
British ex-pat living in the icy north with her own personal God of Thunder, two marauding cats, one marauding toddler and a baby on the way. I enjoy reading, knitting, RPG, computer games, board games, snowboarding, Aikido and ranting on the internet.
