Rosemary and Citrus Cordial
Photo: The Delicious Life, CC BY 2.0
This rosemary and citrus cordial turns grapefruit, lemon, ginger and a handful of herbs into a single bottle of syrup that keeps well in the fridge. Rolling the rosemary with a rolling pin before it goes in the pan releases its oils, so the resin note stands up to the sharp juice. Stir it into fizzy water for a cold soda, or into hot water with whiskey for a toddy.
Instructions
Use a peeler to take long strips of peel from the grapefruit and from 2 of the lemons. Avoid cutting into the white pith underneath, which would make the cordial bitter.
Put the peel strips into a saucepan. Juice all the lemons and the grapefruit, then pour the juice into the pan.
Lay the rosemary sprigs on a chopping board and roll a rolling pin over them a few times. This bruises the leaves and releases their oils.
Add the rosemary, sliced ginger, sugar and water to the pan. Heat over a low-medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sugar has dissolved.
Turn the heat down to low and cook for 15 minutes, until the liquid has become a slightly thick syrup. Leave it to cool. You can use it straight away, or chill it overnight so the flavors develop.
Strain the syrup through a sieve into a bowl or jug, then pour it into a bottle.
For a soda, stir 1 to 2 tablespoons of cordial into ⅔ cup (160 ml/5.4 US fl oz) of fizzy water. For a hot toddy, add the cordial to boiling water with 2 tablespoons of whiskey.
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