Syrup and cordial are basically a mixture made from sugar and water flavoured with fruits or flowers which is then diluted and drunk. Although there are subtle differences between the two, the names are often used interchangeably and I'm not going to take a deep-dive into the two definitions here.
Most fruits and many flowers can be made into a cordial or syrup, turning their delicate scents, flavours, medicines and nutrients into a beautiful drink. My all-time favourite is elderflower cordial which, when diluted with sparkling water, makes a delicious and refreshing drink on a hot summer's day, and spiced blackberry and elderberry syrup as a warming tea packed with vitamins in the winter comes in at a close second. This year I've tried making cordial rose petals and lavender with excellent results.
Below you will find the bare bones and basic outlines for making cordials, but if you want specific recipes with actual quantities, head on to the end of the page where I will list a few as the season progresses.
Flower cordials:
Collect your flowers in the morning on a sunny day. Remove leaves and insects and put the flowers in a large pan or bowl.
Slice a lemon and add to the flowers (optional)
Boil some water and pour over the flowers and lemon. Leave to steep for 24 hours.
Strain the liquid through a sieve, muslin cloth, or thin tea towel and measure how many litres you have. For every 1 litre of liquid add 1 kilo of sugar
Heat this in a pan until the sugar has dissolved
If you're planning to use the syrup straight away, you can decant it into a jug, bottle, or jars to store in the fridge for up to a week, otherwise bring your mixture gently to the boil and pour into hot, sterilised jars, close with sterile lids and leave them the cool down. Once cool, check that the lids have sealed before storing in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
Flower cordials are best enjoyed by diluting with chilled sparkling water.
You can try mixing flowers for extra flavours (eg lavender and rose petals) and you can add lemon juice to enhance the flavours.
Fruit syrups:
Fruit cordials are similar to flower cordials, only you have to boil the fruit in water to extract the flavours before adding the sugar. Most fruit can be made into syrups and cordials. Blackcurrants, redcurrants, peaches and pears, blackberries, elderberries, and even apples all lend themselves beautifully to this and you can add spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to your syrups for extra flavour.
Wash, peel, and core or pit your fruit as necessary
Place your fruit in a saucepan and cover with water. Remember that most fruits release liquid as they cook so you probably don't need to add much water. If you want to include any spices such as cinnamon or ginger etc. add them here.
Bring the pan gently to the boil and simmer until the fruit is cooked through.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool
Once cooled, strain the mixture through a muslin cloth or fine tea towel and discard the fruit pulp
Measure the quantity of liquid you have into a saucepan, then add equal amounts of sugar, eg 1 kilo of sugar to each litre of water
Heat the pan until all the sugar has dissolved.
You can decant this mixture into a jug or bottle to store in the fridge and use within a week. If you want to preserve your syrup for the winter, you can pour it into hot, sterilised jars and once they've sealed, store them in a cool, dark place for the winter.
*you can make lighter syrups using a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water but remember that the less sugar you use, the greater the likelihood of the syrup spoiling. Lighter syrups are fine if you intend to use them quickly, but if you're bottling them to store, a heavy syrup is recommended.
Recipes
Elder flower cordial
Rose petal and lavender cordial