CORDIAL

Forget the sickly sweet green and red cordials of your youth. Chock full of artificial colours and flavours and a ridiculous amount of sugar, they belonged more in a science lab than a kitchen pantry. I’m about to show you a world of cordials that will not only knock your socks off, but are dead easy to make, and showcase the best fruits of the season – without the junk.

This lemon and passionfruit flavoured cordial is my go-to drink on a hot day. Nothing says summer like passionfruit; we are blessed to have them growing in abundance where I live. Here is a fantastic way to capture their deliciously tart sweetness. This cordial will keep for a month in the fridge, so you can make it at the end of summer and keep the dream alive into autumn.

Once you get the process down, experiment with different fruit, herbs and spices like pepper. Just use the best-tasting fruit you can find at the height of the season and you’ll be well rewarded.

Perfect for a long drink in the afternoon, a dressed-up cocktail or even a frozen ice.

MAKES: 2 x 700 ml (24 fl oz) bottles

INGREDIENTS

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) water

440 g (15½ oz/2 cups) raw sugar

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) lemon juice; you’ll need about 10 large juicy, thin-skinned lemons

250 g (9 oz/1 cup) passionfruit pulp, including the seeds; you’ll need about 15 large passionfruit

EQUIPMENT

vegetable peeler

large heavy-based saucepan

sieve

bowl

funnel

2 x 700 ml (24 fl oz) bottles

CORDIAL METHOD

1.	Make the syrup: Combine the water and sugar in a large heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil. When the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
2.	Prepare the fruit: Using whatever juicer you have on hand, juice all the lemons; you’ll need 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) lemon juice all up. Cut the passionfruit in half and scoop out the pulp, making sure you catch all the juice.
3.	Mix together: When the syrup has cooled, add the lemon juice and passionfruit pulp. Stir until well combined.
4.	Bottle and store: Using a funnel, pour the cordial into two clean bottles. Seal and store in the fridge, where the cordial will keep for up to 1 month.
5.	Serve: Serve over ice, with lots of sparkling water.

HOW TO USE

• This cordial and the ones on the following pages are incredibly versatile. They all make a perfect base for cocktails: one-third fill a glass with your chosen cordial, top with a shot of gin, soda water (club soda) and mint, and serve on a hot summer’s afternoon.
• Splash a little cordial over a seasonal fruit salad of strawberries, watermelon and grapes in late summer, or apples, pears and persimmon in winter. Serve with ice cream or sweetened Whipped ricotta.
• Whisk some Ginger cordial with olive oil, paprika, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper and use as a marinade for slow-roasted pulled pork.
• Use the Ginger cordial in a classic Dark and Stormy. Combine equal parts cordial, soda water (club soda) and dark rum; add a big squeeze of lime juice and crushed ice.
• Add a teaspoon of your favourite cordial to sweeten iced tea.