Sloe berry cordial
Have a go at this sloe berry cordial recipe, which you can use in mocktails or just as a tasty daytime drink.
For an alcoholic alternative, try making this sloe gin recipe!
Ingredients
- 1kg sloe berries
- 1l water
- 1 juiced lemon
- Granulated sugar 80g per 100ml liquid
You will also need a muslin cloth.
When should you pick sloe berries?
For the best flavour, the berries should be picked when dark purple and when they squash easily between your fingers. Many recipes suggest you prick the sloe berries before using to allow the juices to infuse your gin/cordial – hence why traditionally you wait until after the first frost. In theory, freezing splits the berries for you, so by popping in the freezer you can mimic this effect and save yourself the hassle of pricking a lot of sloes!
Method
Step 1
Bring the sloe berries, water and lemon juice to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes
Step 2
Break up the cooked sloes with a wooden spoon or potato masher, don’t worry about the stones as you will sieve them out later
Step 3
Once the sloes have been broken up, simmer for a further 10 minutes
Step 4
Pour the mixture through a sieve. If you would like your cordial to be clear, line your sieve with muslin and don’t push the pulp through. However, if you’d like a little colour, don’t use a muslin
Step 5
Next you will need to measure the juice to calculate the amount of sugar required (80g per 100ml)
Step 6
Clean the pan you used, pour the juice back in, add the sugar and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved completely
Step 7
Once dissolved, bring the mixture to the boil and simmer for another 10 minutes. When the cordial has cooled, bottle up and use when you like
Source – https://www.farmersgirlkitchen.co.uk/homemade-christmas-gifts-sloe-cordial/
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