Fruit Cordials

Making my own fruit cordials is probably a natural outgrowth of my recent wine making efforts. After a little research I found the process was simple. Basically if you have fruit, vodka and sugar, you can make a cordial.

Berry Cordial

My first effort was a berry cordial. Here's what I did:

Wash and hull 1 qt. fresh strawberries, 1 qt. raspberries and 1 pt. of blackberries.

 Lightly mash fruit to release juices.

2 c. sugar

1.75 Liter bottle of vodka (being from Texas I prefer Tito's Vodka) or approx. 7 cups


Put Fruit in a sterilized jar add sugar and vodka and shake vigorously.

Place in a cool dark place and shake every week for at least 4 weeks (long makes for a smoother liqueur.

Strain fruit from liquid using a strainer and a coffee filter to get out all the fruit.

Serve over ice or mix with half and half or my favorite, vanilla, sugar-free creamer for a sweet, after dinner drink.

Some recipes I considered have you make a simple syrup. This one did not call for making the syrup and the sugar seemed to mix just fine.

Pear Cordial

My second cordial effort was with pears. We received a couple of Harry and David fruit boxes for Christmas and had a lot of pears. Our choices were to eat the pears or make cordials. As you can imagine, drinking the pears won out.

The pear recipe called for making simple syrup.

3 c. sugar

2 c. water

5-6 medium pears, washed, peeled, cored and sliced

zest of one lemon

3 c. vodka (again, Tito's was my choice)

1 Tbs. Fruit Fresh (or ascorbic acid)

Boil water and sugar until sugar is dissolved and solution is clear. Cool.

Combine pears with Fruit Fresh, simple syrup, lemon zest and vodka in a sterilized jar. Close jar with lid and shake. Place in a dark place and shake weekly for 4-6 weeks (longer for a smoother cordial)

Enjoy!