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Cordial Recipes (redirected from CordialRecipes)

Page history last edited by Anne McKinney 3 weeks, 1 day ago

First, a few notes on cordials:

 

  • Making cordials is not rocket science. These recipes are the result of trial and error. If you try something and don't like it, try making some adjustments!
  • My cordials tend to run on the sweet side. They make good sipping drinks in the winter and mix well with club soda or other drinks in the summer when something less sweet is desired.
  • These recipes produce a lot of leftover fruit, pickled by alcohol. This will keep for a long time if you store them in the fridge or freezer. Use them in place of pineapple in a pineapple upside-down cake recipe (basically, just add the fruit to the bottom of any baking pan of white or yellow cake batter) for a hit dessert. Most of the alcohol bakes out, but folks will still taste a bit of the vodka flavor.

 

Cordials and boozy fruit byproduct.


 

Apple Brandy

 

I have no idea what I did with this bottle, but I have the recipe written out dated December 2010. It might be really good by the time I find it....

 

2 med. golden delicious apples

2 braeburn apples

1 c. sugar

1 oz. (or 1/2)-ish ginger

1 1/2 tsp. dried orange peel

2 whole nutmegs

6 3-inch cinnamon sticks

1 tbs. + 1 tsp whole cloves

1 bottle (750 mL) brandy, Paul Masson VS Grande Amber

 

 

(Mixed) Berry Cordial

May 29, 2020:

 

1 pint blueberries

1 package blackberries

1 package raspberries

2 c. sugar

2 c. vodka*

splash lemon juice

3 mint leaves

 

* I checked this on July 15 and realized how little vodka I had in proportion to fruit, so I added another 2 cups of vodka. Maybe just 1 more cup would have done it...may have gone too far in the other direction. Time will tell!

 

 

Blackberry Cordial

 

1 ½-2 pints fresh blackberries (preferably wild, if you can find them)

1 c. vodka (I usually prefer Smirnoff or a higher-quality brand, but follow your budget)

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. orange peel

 

Lightly crush the blackberries to break the skin—this will help the juice mix with the vodka faster.  Pour them into a large glass jar or bottle.  Do not use plastic or metal!  Add the sugar, then the orange peel and vodka.  Seal tightly and store in a dark place at room temperature for at least 3 months, if not a year.  The longer the cordial ages, the mellower the vodka bite will be.

 

 

 

Blueberry Cordial

 

1 pint blueberries

1 c. vodka

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. orange peel

 

Lightly crush the blueberries and toss them in a glass jar or bottle.  Add the sugar, then the vodka and orange peel.  Store in a dark place at room temperature for at least 3 months.

(Another classic...this is one of my personal favorites.)

 

UPDATE: 2010 Vintage Blueberry cordial made with 2 c. sugar, 3 c. vodka, a splash of lemon juice (probably around 1 tsp.), and an unfortunately blurred amount of blueberries on the ingredient sticker. It's either 1 2/3 pints or 2 pints, as best as I can tell. The combination is very smooth, delicately sweet with a beautiful color.

 

July 15, 2020: I picked up a 2-lb. pack of blueberries and had to figure out how to divvy the recipe up without pints. The internet gave differing measurements, so I tried 4 cups of blueberries to go with 2 cups sugar

 

 

Buddha's Hand Candied Cordial

January 9, 2021: Okay, so I tried to follow this recipe (cutting it in half, anyway) for making candied Buddha's Hand Citron. I followed the recipe to the letter, but...I don't know. Maybe I had the heat too low and too much water cooked out? When I set it to cool, it solidified into a block of hard crystal at the bottom of the pan, so I used vodka to deglaze it and committed to making it into a cordial.

 

If you don't follow the candied recipe above, it's probably a good idea to at least simmer the chopped fruit in boiling water for 30 minutes. Multiple sites I looked at before following this recipe all indicated that boiling the fruit removes some of the bitterness.

 

1 1/2 c. chopped Buddha's hand (1 hand)

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 c. water

1 1/2 c. vodka

 

 

[Sour] Cherry Cordial

 

Don't let the name fool you; this recipe produces a sweet, mellow cordial that's a hit at Christmas. If you have access to a sour cherry tree this is a good way to make use of fruit that's too sour for most people in its raw state. If you are using sweeter cherries you might need to adjust the sugar level. 

 

2 1/2 lb. sour cherries

3 c. vodka

3 c. sugar

1/4 c. water

splash lemon juice

 

(First batch bottled July 10, 2005. Over time it's mellowed beautifully...a very happy recipe!)

 

Alternate mix:

1 gallon bag sour cherries

3 c. vodka

(slightly less than) 3 c. sugar

splash lemon juice

 

2010 Experiment: Tried a sugar-free version for friends who don't like sweet drinks. Result: Cherries retain their sour flavor; vodka still has a bite to it. It might be a good mixer with drinks that are already too sweet...or maybe someone else will like it. 

 

September 2015: I had a bottle of this, mislabeled as "2012/2013 Cherry Cordial" because I couldn't remember when I'd bottled it...I guess it was earlier than I remembered! This has to be the sugar-free blend because it tastes nothing like the regular type. The vodka still has a bite, but it's smoothed out a bit. I might continue to let this mellow for a few more years after tasting another lady's sugar-free, 8-year-old black raspberry cordial at the same event. Hers was very smooth without and dangerously undetectable as alcoholic...sounds like something to look forward to with this, maybe.

 

 

Cinnamon Cordial ("Red-Hot Cinnamon Cordial")

 

4 cups vodka

1 pint red-bark cinnamon (NOT cassia sticks)

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

 

When I first tried mixing this on November 1, 2013, I used 600mL vodka (less than a full 750mL bottle of Russkii Standard) and just the cinnamon. One month later, I added 1 c. brown sugar and another 2 c. vodka. On January 19, 2014 I strained the bark and added another 1/4 c. brown sugar. The vodka amount listed above is an approximation based on my notes from this experiment. 

 

The result is pleasingly spicy with just enough sweetness to smooth out the "bite" of the vodka to my liking, but feel free to adjust amounts as desired. Straining the cinnamon after a month or two seems to be key to avoid getting too many tannins that add bitterness -- it might be possible to use less sugar with the same flavor if the cinnamon is removed sooner, maybe a few weeks to a month after initial bottling. 

 

September 2015: This has smoothed out a bit in terms of alcohol, though it's still spicy with a woody finish thanks to leaving the bark in as long as I had. Since I used to have a habit of gnawing on raw cinnamon, it's a pleasantly nostalgic sensation for me but not for many other people. Maybe two months is still too long to steep the bark -- next time, try aiming for just a few weeks or a month.

 

Citrus Cordial

 

5 clementines

2 oranges

1 lemon

1 vanilla bean

2 c. sugar

2 3/4 c. vodka

 

First batch bottled Jan. 16, 2012. Almost a year later, it's blended well. The cordial is on the sweet side, but makes a delicious orangeade-flavored spritzer. Next time, add more vanilla for a greater dreamsicle effect. The pickled fruits = OMG YES.

 

Cranberry Cordial

 

12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries

1 ½ c. vodka

1 ¾ c. sugar

½ c. water

 

This blend came out very well for a first-time experiment.  You may want to double or triple this recipe because once it’s gone, cranberry season seems like a lifetime away.

 

If you have access to a food processor, mince the cranberries to a fine pulp. Otherwise, cut the cranberries in half, or otherwise break the skins. Throw in a jar/bottle.  Add sugar, then vodka and water, and let sit in a dark place at room temperature for at least 3 months.

 

2008 Variation: This was VERY successful and aged beautifully.

 

2 bags of 12-oz. cranberries, cuisinarted

3 1/2 c. sugar

3 c. vodka

1 c. water

 

 

Ginger Cordial

 

3 cups dark rum

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped ginger

 

Mixed October 25, 2015.

 

Lemon Cordial

5 lemons, zest grated, chopped into quarters, and squeezed

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 c. vodka

 

Mixed February 5, 2022. Strained and tasted September 24, 2022: Probably should have strained it sooner but I forgot it existed. Delicious! A bit on the tart side, like a lemon drop candy. Kari was willing to drink it (despite not liking vodka) and said it makes a great hot toddy.

 

Mint Cordial

 

I threw this together sometime in 2013 and apparently forgot to record the recipe here -- which is unfortunate, because it went over very well at a tasting! I used fresh spearmint from the garden (probably without the stems, possibly mashed, possibly at least a fistful since it's been growing like a weed?). Vodka and sugar were the other ingredients, presumably.  By September 2015 it was sweet, reasonably smooth, albeit an opaque brown color.

 

For this cordial, I would NOT recommend going sugar-free. I remember making this batch up on a lark to see if I could have a different result than some friends who reported that their mint cordial tasted like mouthwash.

 

 

Nectarine and Plum Cordial

 

3 nectarines

10 black plums

4 c. vodka

1 c. water

2 c. sugar

1 squirt lemon juice

 

I made this in the fall of 2007 with some adjustment to the ingredients after it appeared I didn't have enough fruit and vodka in proportion to the water. Live and Learn! The result was mellow and not overpoweringly sweet, a gentle cordial for late summer, with club soda to mix a cold spritzer.

 

 

Orange Juice Cordial

 

4 c. orange juice

4 c. brandy

1/2 c. sugar

 

Bottled September 25, 2022. Not sure how this will turn out, if it will age without fruit pulp or just be a glorified cocktail. 

 

Peach Cordial

 

5 small/medium local peaches, peeled and diced

3 cups vodka

2 cups sugar

splash lemon juice

 

Mixed and put away August 28, 2011. Will check it out in a year or so, unless I remember it sooner. I'm hoping to gain a similar flavor to a French "syrup" (cordial) made by Vedrenne, Creme de Peche de Vigne. The syrup is fermented directly from peaches, instead of using vodka, but their cherry and blueberry syrups are similar to some of my best cordials. UPDATE June 24: Not bad -- not bad at all!

 

July 20, 2020: This is a really small batch to use up the end of a bottle of vodka. I may add more if I get my hands on some more Russkiy juice.

3/4 c. vodka

1/2 c. sugar

1 white peach, peeled (just over 1/2 c.)

1 thumbnail-sized nub of ginger, roughly chopped

 

 

Persimmon Cordial

  

This, too, is apparently the shiz-nit. I bottled this on December 20, 2008 with a shopping bag of frozen persimmons that had to be terribly freezer-burnt. Honestly, I wasn't holding out much hope that it would be remotely edible, but when I tasted it June 23, 2009 I was pleasantly surprised. It had a rich, spicy flavor, that will hopefully be even better by the holidays when more of the vodka has mellowed (it's still a bit sharp at this point). I added the spices on a whim...we'll see what sort of Christmas this will be. I wish I knew where to find a persimmon tree these days... 

 

persimmons (2 pints' worth?), frozen or mashed

2 c. vodka

2 1/4 c. sugar

splash lemon 

--

Added June 23: 1 3-inch cinnamon stick, 1 whole nutmeg (thumbnail-sized)

[June 23, 2009: rich, spicy flavor, still sharp vodka-wise. Removed fruit and added 1 3-inch cinnamon stick and 1 whole thumbnail-sized nutmeg.] 

 

 

Pumpkin Cordial

 

3 c. pumpkin puree

3 c. brandy

2 c. sugar

splash lemon juice

1 whole nutmeg

4 3-inch sticks cinnamon

1 tsp. whole cloves

 

Bottled November 17, 2011; filtered  out the solids July 27, 2013. It tastes like pumpkin pie. I'm hanging onto the leftover puree for some type of dessert...could make a really *special* pumpkin pie this fall!

 

September 2015: I don't remember what I did with the leftover puree, but the cordial has aged quite nicely -- its reception has been mixed depending on how individuals feel about sweet drinks (it's definitely on the sweet end of the spectrum, but not too sweet for me) and spices. The clove is detectable, and a couple people at a tasting commented that it was too clove-y for them. One recommended removing the spices sooner to keep out the tannins -- most people remove spices after a month or so, I think...I guess a year and a half was too long! ;-) I think I probably left mine in as long as I had because I'd forgotten about the cordial, so in the future it might be helpful to set a calendar reminder.

 

 

Raisin Rum

 

3 cups dark rum

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

roughly 1 tablespoon flat cinnamon*

 

October 3, 2015: This is a new experiment and I'm combining rum to sugar based off of previous vanilla experiments, though I'm going for something a little sweeter than vanilla rum. We'll see how much sweeter the extra sugar and raisins make it -- hopefully not too sweet, but noticeably so. I used "Captain Morgan Private Stock" and 3 cups is almost an entire 750mL bottle -- I wanted to keep a little for drinking straight.

 

*I put the flat cinnamon into a paper tea filter tied to a string that sticks out from under the cork in the bottle with the intention of removing it in a couple weeks. NOTE: Two weeks later, I removed the cinnamon and sampled the cordial. I taste more cinnamon than anything else. I'm hoping that more time will allow it to mellow. So far most of the sugar has yet to dissolve, though the raisins might have already sweetened the rum. I may need to add more rum eventually.

 

October 25, 2015: It still tasted like really spicy cinnamon cordial, so I added another 2 cups of rum and another 1/2 cup of brown sugar.

 

Raspberry Cordial

 

1 pint raspberries

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup vodka

splash lemon

 

This was a Summer 2011 experiment. By January 2012, it's smooth, lightweight (not syrupy), and sweet without being too sweet. It goes down like juice and the alcohol catches up later...DAMN!

 

 

Spiced Peach Cordial

 

I threw this initial batch together as an experiment in September 2008. In June 2009 I bottled it…it receives the OMFG rating on the Deliciousness Scale. This batch made roughly enough for 1 champagne-sized bottle and 2 10-oz bottles, plus 2 jars of leftover fruit. This may be divided into Christmas presents if I don’t hog it all. Must double or triple the batch for next year!

 

1 bag of peaches: enough to fill ½ of a sun tea jar when chopped

2 c. sugar

1 bottle (750 ml) Brandy

2 3-inch long sticks of cinnamon

1 fistful of cloves

1 squirt lemon juice

 

Notes:

 

  • Peaches: I used organic. Non-organic could probably be used, but the OMFG rating for this batch tempts me to stick with organic in case the alternative is less delicious. Not all peaches turned brown; some retained their original color. I’m guessing oxidization might have something to do with this. The brandied peaches would make a kick-ass boozy upside-down cake.
  • Brandy: I used Korbel XS, under advisement of a friend. Many thanks to Kari’s booze-know-how!
  • Spices: Obviously I’m no stickler for scientific measurement on this subject. I don’t know if it’s possible to screw up cloves and cinnamon. If you feel more comfortable with exact measurements, my small fist may hold approximately ¼ cup of whole cloves. On another note, if you plan to recycle the fruit (boozy upside-down cakes are good for the environment!), invest in an empty tea bag for the cloves. This year I was OCD enough to sort the cloves from the leftover fruit with my (clean) little fingers, but next time a bag for mulling spices will save the trouble.
  • October 12, 2009 batch:
    • 2 750mL bottles of Korbel XS brandy
    • 6-ish large peaches
    • 1 generous squirt lemon juice
    • 2 c. sugar
    • 6-ish 3" cinnamon sticks
    • fistful of cloves
    • By 2010: crisp, yet palatable flavor. Nice Christmas treat.

 

 

Strawberry Cordial

 

1 32-ounce package of fresh strawberries, chopped

3 c. sugar

3 c. vodka

1/4 c. water

splash lemon juice

 

This turned out to be way too sweet. Works better as a mixer or ice cream topping.

 

 

"Tartberry" Cordial

 

This was something I mixed during a late December 2014 bottling when I discovered how harsh a sugar-free blackberry cordial turned out. It's a mix of the blackberry with some extra blueberry and cherry cordials that I didn't have the right size bottles for.

 

Vanilla Cordial

 

2 750mL bottles of dark rum (Bacardi Gold)

1 cup dark brown sugar

5 vanilla beans

 

I threw this together June 26, 2012 after looking up a few different recipes online. I doubled the rum from 1 bottle to 2 after the first few months, as the recipes I found all measured rum in cups and I'd forgotten that there aren't that many cups in a fifth-size bottle. Also, I diced most of the beans but sliced one of them lengthwise.

November 2012: Very nice. The brown sugar dissolved well, less sweet than some of my others -- the overall flavor reminds me of Sweet Lucy. I'd hoped for a stronger vanilla flavor, though I'm not sure how to get that without pouring in a bottle of extract.

June 2013: it's a hit! drink up!

 

November 1, 2013 bottling: 6 vanilla beans (5 sliced lengthwise, 1 minced), 1/2 bottle Madagascar vanilla extract, 2 1/2 c. light brown sugar, 1.75 L Sailor Jerry spiced rum (minus 2-3 shots). The Sailor Jerry brand rum seemed to have a bit more "bite" to it. Mincing one of the beans and adding the extract was an attempt to get an even stronger vanilla flavor, though I think the extract added some oil to the top of the liquid. The resulting flavor is still nice and vanilla-y (as of sampling in December 2014), though not as potent as the drops with black flecks of vanilla that got onto my fingers when I removed the beans from the strainer. I wish there were a way to fuse those flecks to the liquid throughout! There was some fear that having the beans in the rum for over a year would make the cordial bitter, but that does not seem to be the case.

 

 

Wild Indian Plum Cordial

  

This fruit grows on trees and are not terribly hard to find if you know how to identify them (an edible berry book will help with this). I found a tree growing alongside an apartment parking lot. The seeds are not edible, so cordials are a good way to make use of Indian plums if a tree is conveniently nearby. This makes a smooth, sweet cordial with a delicate golden flavor. 

 

6 c. wild Indian plums (crushed or frozen)

2 c. vodka

1 1/2 c. sugar

splash lemon juice

 

(First batch bottled July 10, 2005. Still have some left; it's nice for special occasions or summer spritzers and has mellowed nicely over time.)

 

 

 


 

Cordial FAILS

 

The following are experiments that I am listing only in the name of scientific research and should not be copied.  Please, DO NOT try these at home.

 

Honeydew Cordial

 

I tried this experiment in the hopes that the result would taste something like Midori:

3 c. chopped honeydew melon

2 c. sugar

2 ½ c. vodka

 

Maybe my honeydew wasn’t ripe enough.  Maybe I should have tried some other type of melon.  The result, however, tastes NOTHING like Midori.  It is sweet with a sharp alcohol flavor that tastes more like honey-flavored vodka than anything honeydew.

 

Piña Colada Cordial

 

This must be the worst experiment I have ever concocted:

2 whole pineapples, sliced, plus juice from package (water, grape juice concentrate, pineapple juice)

3 c. Malibu coconut rum

1 2/3 c. sugar

 

After 2 months, this tasted HORRIBLE.  I proceeded to add more sugar and maybe a tablespoon of coconut extract, and this might have been the last nail in the coffin.  I’m not entirely sure.  I’m afraid I never tasted it again.

 

Strawberries + powdered sugar

Powdered sugar apparently doesn't dissolve well in vodka.

 

Comments (5)

Lynette said

at 4:29 pm on Mar 2, 2011

In the winter, Am-ko and the local Asian groceries have a LOT of fresh persimmons available! They usually have some dried in bags for sale, too. Good alternative when you don't know where to find a tree? -Dena (following a WurmWald link! :D)

Anne McKinney said

at 4:39 pm on Mar 2, 2011

Thanks for the tip! This last fall someone brought in a bagful of home-grown Asian persimmons and I almost made a cordial with them -- but I was enjoying the fresh fruit so much that I didn't get around to it! I've never tried the dried persimmons, though -- do you reconstitute them with water, or use them like raisins or dried dates?

Lynette said

at 2:14 am on Mar 5, 2011

Either way! :D In Korea they boil 'em for a while to make persimmon tea; you can put cooked-and-softened ones in pies and such; or you can eat a dried persimmon just the way it is.

For purposes of cordial-making, I'd be tempted to heat up the alcohol you're going to use and soak them in that until they get fluffed back up... can't swear to it, since I've never actually made cordial, but it seems plausible as a way to get the flavors out.

Lynette said

at 2:17 am on Mar 5, 2011

...aha, there's a liqueur recipe here that says just chop the dried ones into bits and soak them in rum until you're happy with the result:

http://www.seedtosupper.com/persimmons.html

Anne McKinney said

at 8:01 am on Mar 5, 2011

Awesome. Thanks!

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