Raspberry Cordial

This delicious, bright red raspberry cordial recipe makes the perfect drink to cool down with on a hot summer's day. Inspired by the raspberry cordial Anne Shirley so raved about in Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic novel, "Anne of Green Gables", we tried to keep the recipe as true to the old-fashioned PEI drink as possible, using only four ingredients!

My wife took my daughter to see Anne of Green Gables the Musical for the first time this year, and I thought raspberry cordial was a fitting way to treat the kids during the hot summer weather we are having!

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What is a cordial?

Depending on where in the world you are, a cordial can be an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink:

• In the United States and Canada, "cordials" are most often sold as sweet, fruit-infused spirits or liqueurs.
• In Australia and the UK, cordials are commonly a non-alcoholic, sweet fruit-flavored syrup, meant to be diluted with water (often called "squash" in the UK).

Non-alcoholic cordials are often used to help flavor mixed drinks, but they also make the perfect child-friendly summer drink as well! Almost any fruit can be used to make a homemade cordial, making the flavor options almost limitless!

Frozen or Fresh Raspberries?

Many homemade cordial recipes use frozen fruit, and I believe it is simply for convenience. Frozen fruit is often cheaper and available throughout the year, while fresh fruits (especially berries) can be much more expensive and won't last as long.

As the raspberries are cooked in this recipe, it doesn't matter if you use fresh or frozen fruit, though we have found fresh, homegrown raspberries have a brighter, sweeter flavor than frozen raspberries, which are often quite tart.

How to make your own "Anne of Green Gables" inspired Raspberry Cordial

For this simple summertime treat, our Anne of Green Gables raspberry cordial recipe stays as true as possible to what would have been used in the olden days on Prince Edward Island. That means no frozen fruit, and no food coloring or special sweeteners. Only fresh raspberries, sugar, lemon, and water!

Raspberry Cordial Recipe Ingredients

To make your own old fashioned raspberry cordial, you'll need:

• 5 cups fresh raspberries (3 x 6 oz ½ pint containers or 750 grams)
• 1.5 cups white sugar (300g)
• 6 cups water (1.5 litres)
• 1 lemon, juiced and strained

Raspberry Cordial Recipe Instructions

In a large pot, combine the fresh raspberries, sugar, and a splash of water and heat over medium heat until the sugar has melted. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring periodically to prevent scorching.

As the sugar melts and heats up, it will create a sort of raspberry puree as the raspberries start to break up. Add the rest of the water and bring the pot to a low simmer.

Once the pot starts to simmer, turn the heat down to low, and gently simmer for 15 minutes to extract all the flavor from the fresh raspberries. Try to keep the pot from boiling, and keep the temperature as low as possible to retain as much of the natural flavor of the raspberries!

Strain the entire pot through a fine mesh strainer. We used a fine mesh chinois strainer, though any other fine mesh strainer will work as well. Gently mash the berry pulp to squeeze as much juice and flavor out of the raspberries as possible. Be careful! The raspberries and juice are hot!

Important Note: By mashing the raspberries, your cordial will end up being cloudy, though this will not affect the flavor at all. To remove any cloudiness, strain the juice a second time through a food-grade microfilter or clean linen cloth.

Once the juice has been strained, fully cool the raspberry juice in the fridge. Once cooled, add the strained lemon juice and mix well.

Pour the raspberry cordial into clean glass bottles for storage in the fridge. Serve and enjoy!

Flavor Variations

• 🫚 Ginger Raspberry Cordial: Add a thumb-sized knob of sliced fresh ginger to the pot while the raspberries simmer for a warm, spicy kick that pairs beautifully with the tartness of the lemon.
• 🌿 Mint Raspberry Cordial: Toss a handful of fresh mint leaves in with the raspberries during the last 5 minutes of simmering for a cooling, herbal note - strain them out along with the pulp.
• 🍸 Sparkling Raspberry Cocktail: For the adults, top a glass of cordial with soda water or sparkling wine, and a splash of gin or vodka, for an easy summer cocktail.
• 🫐 Mixed Berry Cordial: Swap up to half the raspberries for blackberries or blueberries for a deeper, more complex berry flavor.

Serving Suggestions

• Classic and simple: Pour a few tablespoons of cordial into a glass and top with cold water or sparkling water, adjusting to taste - this is how it would have been served on PEI in Anne's day.
• Over ice with lemonade: Stir a splash into a glass of homemade lemonade for a pretty pink twist on a summer classic.
• As a cocktail base: Use it in place of simple syrup or grenadine in cocktails and mocktails for a fresh, fruity flavor.
• Drizzled over dessert: Spoon it over pancakes, waffles, or a bowl of vanilla ice cream for a bright, fruity topping.

How To Store Raspberry Cordial

The finished raspberry cordial will easily store for a week if refrigerated in a clean, non-reactive food-grade bottle or container. Glass pop-top bottles work especially well - just make sure they are cleaned very well before filling.

For longer term storage, the raspberry cordial can be bottled and canned as per standardized canning methods for fruit juices.

Tip: To keep your raspberry cordial fresh for as long as possible when storing in the fridge, fill bottles as close to the top as possible, leaving less than an inch of headspace (air). Less air means less chance for bacteria to grow!

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