Old-Fashioned Raspberry Cordial

I am happy to share with you my recipe for old-fashioned raspberry cordial. This recipe is made with fresh raspberries, lemon juice and sugar. It is sweet and delicious, plus it is non-alcoholic. So it makes a wonderful summertime treat for all.

I have mentioned this before, but fresh berries are one of my absolute favorite things about summer. I don’t particularly enjoy the intense heat and humidity of the summers here in the Midwest. But the abundance of berries and wildflowers helps make up for it.

I only need to take a quick stroll down to the woods near my home to gather mulberries and wild black raspberries. I have red raspberries and golden raspberries growing in my garden – though the chickens usually get to them before I do! And I am surrounded by U-pick farms, for which I am very grateful.

This morning I went out to a new U-pick farm a little ways from my house, which I learned about from a friend. And it was truly charming! Just a mom-and-pop berry patch in the middle of nowhere, Iowa. There was a country store where they sold local honey, maple syrup and their own canned apple sauce. There were quotes from scripture around on the walls in the store. And acres upon acres of blueberries, raspberries, currants and more. I came home with plenty of berries to freeze, can, eat fresh and to make a big batch of my raspberry cordial.

I was inspired to make this raspberry cordial after revisiting one of my favorite childhood stories, Anne of Green Gables. Here is a passage from chapter 16, which is titled “Diana is Invited to Tea With Tragic Results”:

“Anne looked on the second shelf of the room pantry but there was no bottle of raspberry cordial there . Search revealed it away back on the top shelf. Anne put it on a tray and set it on the table with a tumbler.

“Now, please help yourself, Diana,” she said politely. “I don’t believe I’ll have any just now. I don’t feel as if I wanted any after all those apples.”

Diana poured herself out a tumblerful, looked at its bright-red hue admiringly, and then sipped it daintily.

“That’s awfully nice raspberry cordial, Anne,” she said. “I didn’t know raspberry cordial was so nice.”

But of course, those of us who love Anne of Green Gables know that it was not in fact raspberry cordial that Anne served Diana. It was Marilla’s currant wine!

Tips For Making Raspberry Cordial

• I recommend using the freshest raspberries you can find.
• I used bottled lemon juice today, because I planned to can most of the batch. Bottled lemon juice is recommended over fresh squeezed when canning because the acid level is consistent. So if you plan to drink it all fresh, you can use either. But if you plan to can, use bottled.
• The straining process takes awhile. It is hands-off time, so you can do other things while the cordial strains. But just be aware that it can take 30+ minutes. It helps speed the flow to periodically scrape down the sides and bottom of the jelly bag to remove the accumulation of seeds, pulp and pectin.
• Once it is strained bottle it in clean glass jars. It can be stored in the fridge for several weeks. In addition it can be canned in a water bath canner following directions for berry juice (15 minutes processing plus five minutes rest in the canner).
• I love this raspberry cordial on its own. It also mixes really well with sparkling mineral water, kombucha, water kefir or homemade sodas (like traditional ginger beer).

Watch my Video on How to Make Raspberry Cordial to See The Whole Process From Start to Finish:

How to Make Old Fashioned Raspberry Cordial

Ingredients

500 grams Fresh Raspberries (approximately 2 cups, weigh in grams if planning to can)
1/3 cup Lemon Juice (use bottled if planning to can)
12 cups Boiling Purified Water + 1 1/2 cups Cool Purified Water
3 cups Cane Sugar

Process

First I wash my raspberries in a sink of cool water. Then I measure out 500 grams of berries using my kitchen scale.

Then I place them in a large glass bowl and pour 1/3 cup lemon juice over top.

Next I bring 12 cups of purified water to a boil.

Once the water is boiling I add 3 cups of cane sugar to the pot and stir until it is dissolved. Then I remove the sugar water from the heat and pour it over the raspberry lemon juice mixture.

Now I cover it and let it cool for 24 hours. You can do this in the refrigerator, but I just leave mine on the counter.

After 24 hours it is time to strain the cordial. I first pour mine through a fine mesh strainer into another large bowl or stainless steel pot. This first strain will catch most of the seeds and pulp. Next I pour the cordial through a jelly bag / nut milk bag. It is going to take awhile to pass through. I scrape the sides and bottom of the bag periodically to help remove the build up of pulp, seeds and pectin.

Once all of the cordial has been strained it is time to bottle it. I pour mine directly into clean glass jars.

It will keep in the fridge for several weeks as is. But if you would like to preserve it for longer then you can water-bath can it. This is what I do. Follow directions for canning berry juice – I use the recipe in the Ball Blue Book. Canned raspberry cordial will keep for several years.

IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE AND ENJOY IT, I WOULD BE SO GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD COME BACK AND GIVE IT FIVE STARS. I LOVE TO SEE YOUR PICTURES OF MY RECIPES, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM @VERITYFOLKSCHOOL

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