Summer Recipe Blackcurrant Cordial

Blackcurrant Cordial

Summer Recipe

When Athene and I were children we would supplement our weekly pocket money during the Summer holidays by picking blackcurrants grown by our neighbour, Mr Dobbyn. We were paid 50p for a 6lb trug-full. We were fast pickers but even so we were often amazed by how quickly some of our, shall we say, rougher fellow pickers managed to fill their trugs. But Mr Dobbyn was no fool, he knew they weren’t above slipping a few stones into the bottom of the trug to add to the weight!

This year our four blackcurrant bushes were covered in fruit. As there was more than enough for several jars of blackcurrant jelly I decided to use the surplus to make a couple of bottles of blackcurrant cordial. Delicious diluted with sparkling water, or even better, champagne..

Recipe

Ingredients

450g blackcurrants

300g caster sugar

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

Method

Put the sugar in a large saucepan with 300ml of water, Bring slowly to a simmer then add the lemon juice and zest followed by the blackcurrants. Cook over a medium heat until the blackcurrants soften and burst.

Strain through a jelly bag or a sieve lined with a muslin into a clean, heatproof jug then transfer the liquid as soon as it is cool enough into sterilised glass bottles. Some recipes suggest repeating this stage in order to maximise the amount.

Dilute to taste.

Susannah English