Home made Cordials

Home made fruit cordials are so much better tasting than commercial ones (though I can be swayed by a Bickford's lime but that is for another post!) and they are so simple to make and better for the budget as well. Soft drinks and bought cordials have become everyday items but when I was growing up softdrink was only for Christmas and cordial was made up from a concentrate for Summer Holidays. During the rest of the year we would have home made ginger beer, ice cold milk and a lot of water.... out of the rain water tank of course. I do remember Nana making lemon cordial if and only if there was a good supply of lemons. I do not remember having a lemon tree on the farm, Nana would buy lemons from a street stall or be given some by relatives and friends in Adelaide where it was warmer climate than up in the hills. I seem to remember that lemons needed more care to grow well where the farm was located and anything that required a lot of extra attention would not have been grown, her life was tough enough as it was! Years later when she retired to the city I still do not remember a lemon tree but I do recall Nana having lots of lemons on hand no doubt given to her by all the neighbours and I guess she would not have seen the sense in growing more.

I made two batches of fruit cordial. One lot was made using Blood Oranges and the next lot was made using Meyer Lemons. The Blood Orange cordial is a brilliant rich orange colour and is a bit sweet for our taste if used alone. Mixed with a dash of lemon juice some mint and ice and it becomes a very refreshing drink, and it is especially good mixed with soda water. The lemon cordial is made with the same amount of sugar in the syrup as the orange but has the wonderful tang that lemon juice gives.

If you grow or are given the fruit then the total cost of making cordials is less than a quarter of the cost of buying commercial brands and these do not contain as much pure fruit juice if any at all! The only preservative I use is citric and tartaric acid and of course the sugar. The bottles should be stored in a cool place and will keep for weeks in the fridge. You could of course put them in a water bath to preserve them for longer period but I prefer to make up fresh batches as we need them, it is so much better tasting and as it is so quick to make.