lemon cordial recipe
You can use other citrus fruits for this cordial recipe. In Spain, you'll see a similar recipe made with clementines and it's delicious with limes.
for 2 x 750ml bottles
- 3 unwaxed lemons
- 900ml boiling water
- 850g white sugar (granulated or caster)
- 30g citric or tartaric acid
With a swivel potato peeler, cut thick ribbons of rind from the fruit, leaving the white pith behind.
Put the rind into a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water. Stir in the sugar, keeping the water moving until the sugar has all dissolved.
Leave the mixture to cool and then add the juice from the lemons and the citric acid, and leave everything to steep overnight.
Next day, strain the rind away and bottle the cordial. Don't leave the rind any longer or the cordial will become bitter.
Serve the cordial – just a little in the bottom of a glass – diluted with still or sparkling water.
This will store for about a month in the fridge, or you can pour it into clean plastic milk cartons and freeze it.
This recipe appears on p.35 of Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook.
