Preserve Me: Lemon/Lime Cordial

At last months' farmgate and and visit to Bilpin I went totally overboard. Limes are usually so expensive that when I saw them at $1.00 a kilo, and then was offered free ones at the orchard, I was a lime glutton with no shame.

I have done my best this month to use them - friands, lime and coconut cake, splice iceblocks but I still have more. more. more to use.  This, and a couple of excess lemons found me wondering how I could take advantage of the bounty.

Then hubby came into the kitchen and poured himself a cordial.

Lightbulb moment.

When I went searching for a recipe I admit I was disturbed by the amount of sugar in cordial.  Gobsmacked.  But then I thought, well, when you drink it, it's really watered down.  Right? Now I've tasted it, I think it will not only be diluted with water, but definitely with ice, vodka.   Oh, and let's not forget Tequila, crushed ice and salt... yee-ha.

Ingredients:
2 regular sized lemons
6 regular sized limes
1.5 kg white sugar
4 cups boiling water
1 tsp citric acid

Method:
Zest 4 of the limes and 1 of the lemons and set zest aside.
Juice all lemons and limes, leave seeds in if you wish add to zest.

Pour boiling water into large jug or stockpot.  Add sugar cup by cup stirring as you go to dissolve sugar best you can.
Add zest and juice, cover for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, strain the jug/stockpot over a sieve with muslin (I used a linen teatowel - smells lovely when you wash it later!)

Pour into sterlised preserving bottles, process (i.e. reboil in the stockpot) for about 45 minutes if you plan to keep, or straight in the fridge if you wish to consume within the next couple of weeks.

Makes 2 litres cordial or 12 litres made up.

Be a Fan

Print this post in friendly format