making a cordial
I will go into the history of cordials at another date, but I wanted to give you my basic recipe to get you started. I was able to find a period recipe out of Cindy Renfrow's book "A Sip Through Time". A great book for any brewer/vintner and one that should be in your library of research books.
Below is a recipe from “A Sip Through Time” by Cindy Renfrow entitled “To Make Cinnamon Water without Distilling It”- c. 1550- 1625
“1quart brandy
1 pint water
½ dram cinnamon oil
½ lb sugar
Take one quart of Brandy, and halfe a dram of oyle of cinnamon, and a pinte of water, and half[e] a pound of white sugar. Boyle ye water and sugar together, and mix ye oyle and sugar together, yt is with a little of ye sugar before you put it to ye rest. Then mix them altogether, and set it by till it be cold. And then bottle it up. (from Martha Washington’s Booke if Cookery, ed. By Karen Hess)”
This can be amended to produce a basic SCA adapted recipe that works quite nicely. Variations on this basic recipe are encouraged. I have found many modern recipes that call for grain alcohol. I have found modern grain alcohol to be quite harsh and this will overwhelm whatever fruit flavouring you are going for. Instead, a good quality Vodka is a wonderful substitution- giving you the right amount of alcohol flavour without being overly aggressive. The brandy balances out the flavour of the vodka without taking away the alcohol level giving you that smooth finish that is perfect for a cordial.
Equipment:
Large air tight jar (64oz)
2 cups Sugar (or to taste)
1 cup Brandy
1 cup Vodka
2 pounds Fruit
Cheese cloth
Strainer
Yields: approximately 16 oz cordial
You can use either frozen fruit or fresh fruit. Clean fruit well and cut 32 oz (two pounds) of fruit into pieces small enough to fit in your jar. (I have used a well cleaned juice jar in the past and it works fine. Now I have a sealable locking lid jar that I use). Place fruit in jar. If it’s a lightly flavoured fruit you will want to add more then 32 oz.
Add two cups of sugar. You can use more or less depending on your desired amount of sweetness. A sweeter type fruit (i.e. Strawberries, peach) may only need a cup and a half. You can always start with a cup add more sugar to taste later.
Add one cup vodka and one cup Brandy. Use at least ‘middle shelf’ alcohol. It’s better quality and will give you a more finished tasting product. Tip: if you are using a very light coloured fruit then try to find a ‘white’ brandy. The dark colour brandy has a caramel colour added and the white doesn’t. The brandy colour will change your fruit colour and make it appear darker. It won’t matter in your darker fruits and there is no difference in flavour between the two Brandies. You should never use a type of Ever Clear or grain alcohol as it’s a very harsh alcohol and will completely overpower the flavour of your fruits.
Once all ingredients are in the jar you will need to shake the jar daily till all the fruit has broken down and sugars are dissolved. This could take a week or so. Store in a cool dry place. Your flavours will need time to meld together at this point. I leave my cordials alone for at least two months.
Finishing:
Pour through strainer to get large chunks of fruit. (This makes great topping for ice cream or pancakes/waffles, so save it!) Folding cheese cloth into thick layers (at least 16 layers), strain liquid through several times until clear . You will want to use fresh cheese cloth with each strain. Cheese cloth should be easily available at your local fabric store or mega mart.
At this point you can pour your cordial back into the jar and leave alone to age. The remaining sediment not caught from cheese cloth will settle to the bottom of the jar. Rack (siphon) the clear cordial from the jar, making sure not to siphon the sediment from the bottom. A fruit high in pectin will have quite a bit of sediment (pectin) and the only way to clear it is to rack the clear liquid after enough time has passed.
Place in a clear glass container. It is appropriate to use a smaller glass bottle with a nice removable cork for competitions. The fill on the bottle should be one finger below the cork. A nice label or tag on the bottle will tell people, and you, what it is. Be proud of your creation! For friends and sharing you can also pick up a nice swing top bottle and place a nice label on it.
Another option is to infuse fruit and alcohol and add simple syrup to taste at the end. Simple syrup is available or can be made by combining one cup of water to two cups of sugar in a warm pan until sugar completely dissolves and allowing to cool. This can be mixed into the cordial to taste.
If the fruit flavour isn’t strong enough, you can always add more fruit at this time and repeat the entire process. Cordials are quite forgiving and other flavours can be added at any time during the production and aging. You can also experiment with other flavours such as extracts, nuts and even spices or herbs.
Below is a recipe from “A Sip Through Time” by Cindy Renfrow entitled “To Make Cinnamon Water without Distilling It”- c. 1550- 1625
“1quart brandy
1 pint water
½ dram cinnamon oil
½ lb sugar
Take one quart of Brandy, and halfe a dram of oyle of cinnamon, and a pinte of water, and half[e] a pound of white sugar. Boyle ye water and sugar together, and mix ye oyle and sugar together, yt is with a little of ye sugar before you put it to ye rest. Then mix them altogether, and set it by till it be cold. And then bottle it up. (from Martha Washington’s Booke if Cookery, ed. By Karen Hess)”
This can be amended to produce a basic SCA adapted recipe that works quite nicely. Variations on this basic recipe are encouraged. I have found many modern recipes that call for grain alcohol. I have found modern grain alcohol to be quite harsh and this will overwhelm whatever fruit flavouring you are going for. Instead, a good quality Vodka is a wonderful substitution- giving you the right amount of alcohol flavour without being overly aggressive. The brandy balances out the flavour of the vodka without taking away the alcohol level giving you that smooth finish that is perfect for a cordial.
Equipment:
Large air tight jar (64oz)
2 cups Sugar (or to taste)
1 cup Brandy
1 cup Vodka
2 pounds Fruit
Cheese cloth
Strainer
Yields: approximately 16 oz cordial
You can use either frozen fruit or fresh fruit. Clean fruit well and cut 32 oz (two pounds) of fruit into pieces small enough to fit in your jar. (I have used a well cleaned juice jar in the past and it works fine. Now I have a sealable locking lid jar that I use). Place fruit in jar. If it’s a lightly flavoured fruit you will want to add more then 32 oz.
Add two cups of sugar. You can use more or less depending on your desired amount of sweetness. A sweeter type fruit (i.e. Strawberries, peach) may only need a cup and a half. You can always start with a cup add more sugar to taste later.
Add one cup vodka and one cup Brandy. Use at least ‘middle shelf’ alcohol. It’s better quality and will give you a more finished tasting product. Tip: if you are using a very light coloured fruit then try to find a ‘white’ brandy. The dark colour brandy has a caramel colour added and the white doesn’t. The brandy colour will change your fruit colour and make it appear darker. It won’t matter in your darker fruits and there is no difference in flavour between the two Brandies. You should never use a type of Ever Clear or grain alcohol as it’s a very harsh alcohol and will completely overpower the flavour of your fruits.
Once all ingredients are in the jar you will need to shake the jar daily till all the fruit has broken down and sugars are dissolved. This could take a week or so. Store in a cool dry place. Your flavours will need time to meld together at this point. I leave my cordials alone for at least two months.
Finishing:
Pour through strainer to get large chunks of fruit. (This makes great topping for ice cream or pancakes/waffles, so save it!) Folding cheese cloth into thick layers (at least 16 layers), strain liquid through several times until clear . You will want to use fresh cheese cloth with each strain. Cheese cloth should be easily available at your local fabric store or mega mart.
At this point you can pour your cordial back into the jar and leave alone to age. The remaining sediment not caught from cheese cloth will settle to the bottom of the jar. Rack (siphon) the clear cordial from the jar, making sure not to siphon the sediment from the bottom. A fruit high in pectin will have quite a bit of sediment (pectin) and the only way to clear it is to rack the clear liquid after enough time has passed.
Place in a clear glass container. It is appropriate to use a smaller glass bottle with a nice removable cork for competitions. The fill on the bottle should be one finger below the cork. A nice label or tag on the bottle will tell people, and you, what it is. Be proud of your creation! For friends and sharing you can also pick up a nice swing top bottle and place a nice label on it.
Another option is to infuse fruit and alcohol and add simple syrup to taste at the end. Simple syrup is available or can be made by combining one cup of water to two cups of sugar in a warm pan until sugar completely dissolves and allowing to cool. This can be mixed into the cordial to taste.
If the fruit flavour isn’t strong enough, you can always add more fruit at this time and repeat the entire process. Cordials are quite forgiving and other flavours can be added at any time during the production and aging. You can also experiment with other flavours such as extracts, nuts and even spices or herbs.