Friday 21 November 2014

Summer citrus cordial - and what a summer we are going to have!

Wow!  We have just had the weekend from hell with 40+C weather and hot northerlies blowing at us.  I can imagine what all the G20 leaders said when they got home about stinking hot Brisbane.  Never mind that this is really really odd for Spring.  Gawd knows what is ahead in the coming Summer months.
We had a friend coming over for dinner on the Saturday night, so I made citrus cordial.  We sat in the air-con and drank cordial, and then Champagne 'cos that's what you need to do when the weather is unbearable.  Oh, and just to keep us on our toes, we had a huge storm yesterday and flash flooding.  Eek!
This is a really easy recipe, and only takes a short time to make.  And it's so handy to have a jugfull (is that a real word?) in the fridge ready to go.  You will get 2 jugs' worth out of this recipe.

ingredients:

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
zest of a lime or a lemon
2 cups of fresh citrus juice- this can be a mixture of oranges, lemons and limes
1 bottle of soda or mineral water
extra citrus zest for serving

Method:

Place the water and sugar into a medium saucepan
Stir and keep stirring till the sugar has dissolved over a medium heat
Add the cinnamon stick and zest now to the pan
Stop stirring! and let it simmer away gently on a low heat for 6 minutes
Take it off the heat
Leave to cool down
Take out the cinnamon stick when ready to mix the syrup with the juice

Juice your fruit - I used 2 big oranges, a lime and several lemons to get 2 cups
Add the juice and sugar syrup together and stir
Pour half the mixture into a nice jug
Add the bottle of sparkling water
Throw on the extra zest and ice cubes - and drink!


making sugar syrup

gnarly organic lemons from a friend's tree

zesting and juicing


combining cordial and mineral water 


sparkling and so refreshing!



10 comments:

  1. Oh, looks so refreshing Sherry - just what we need here with the dreadful drying winds we are having here.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Rachel
      It was a lovely and refreshing drink. I think I will be making more. The cinnamon stick gave it a great little added scent.

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  2. Yes Sherry - it appears great minds do think alike! It was a shocker last weekend wasn't it?! Humidity we're used to but the hot winds? And a very early Summer storm, as you say. It appears this weekend's going to be a hot one too. I love your gnarly lemons - the best kind!

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    Replies
    1. Another stinker coming up this weekend. So hot! Yes I love those lemons.

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  3. That sounds lovely! I'm going to have to try that in the Summer. Right now all we want is hot chocolates and hot water bottles here in England lol :)

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    Replies
    1. hi gina
      so funny to think the other half of the world is getting cold while we are suffering the heat! it is going to be a scorcher again this weekend.

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  4. I was wondering what sort of drink I could make for the weekend and now it's sorted!

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    Replies
    1. hi maureen
      it makes a lovely drink and you could always add champagne rather than sparkling water:)

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  5. I think you're right-it is going to be a scorcher if these past few days (and tomorrow) are any indication!

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    Replies
    1. Phew. I am dreading summer if this is Spring. Soooo hot!

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