This is one page for ALL of my cordial recipes: the good ones to repeat as well as notes on my failures.

Notes for all recipes

Making cordials is not rocket science. These recipes are the result of trial and error. If you try something and don’t like it, try making some adjustments!

My cordials tend to run on the sweet side. They make good sipping drinks in the winter and mix well with club soda or other drinks in the summer when something less sweet is desired.

These recipes produce a lot of leftover fruit, pickled by alcohol. This will keep for a long time if you store them in the fridge or freezer. Use them in place of pineapple in a pineapple upside-down cake recipe (basically, just add the fruit to the bottom of any baking pan of white or yellow cake batter) for a hit dessert. Most of the alcohol bakes out, but folks will still taste a bit of the vodka flavor.

Alcohol: I prefer to use middle-grade hard liquors. Nothing too fancy, or too cheap. Smirnoff is a good brand for vodka, for example. You won’t taste any higher quality out of more expensive brands. Avoid alcohol that comes in plastic bottles.

Sugar: white or brown sugar are best. Powdered sugar won’t dissolve in alcohol. I once tried a sugar-free version and it didn’t mix; though unfortunately I don’t remember if this was Splenda or Stevia. A liquid sugar substitute might work. You can try experimenting and see what happens.

Mix the ingredients in a large jar or wide-mouthed glass bottle and store for several months. Fruit can be macerated to speed up the process. Remove/strain the solid contents after a couple months, especially spices, lest they make the drink bitter. In general, I usually wait at least a year before drinking, but you can decide when they’re done enough for you to enjoy. They will continue to mellow over time.

Apple Brandy

2 med. golden delicious apples
2 braeburn apples
1 c. sugar
1 oz. (or 1/2)-ish ginger
1 1/2 tsp. orange peel or zest
2 whole nutmegs
6 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1 tbs. + 1 tsp whole cloves
1 bottle (750 mL) brandy, Paul Masson VS Grande Amber

(Mixed) Berry Cordial

1 pint blueberries
1 package blackberries
1 package raspberries
2 c. sugar
3 c. vodka
splash lemon juice
3 mint leaves

Blackberry Cordial

1 ½-2 pints fresh blackberries (preferably wild, if you can find them)
1 c. vodka
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. orange peel

Blueberry Cordial

1 pint blueberries
1 c. vodka
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. orange peel

This is one of my personal favorites. You can scale it up with 4 cups of blueberries to go with 2 c. sugar, 2 c. vodka.

Buddha’s Hand Candied Cordial

1 1/2 c. chopped Buddha’s hand (approximately 1 hand)
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 1/2 c. vodka

It’s a good idea to at least simmer the chopped fruit in boiling water for 30 minutes. Boiling the fruit removes some of the bitterness.

[Sour] Cherry Cordial

Don’t let the name fool you; this recipe produces a sweet, mellow cordial that’s a hit at Christmas. If you have access to a sour cherry tree this is a good way to make use of fruit that’s too sour for most people in its raw state. If you are using sweeter cherries you might need to adjust the sugar level. I had a bottle that stuck around for over 3 years and it was amazingly smooth.

2 1/2 lb. sour cherries
3 c. vodka
3 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
splash lemon juice

Alternate mix:
1 gallon bag sour cherries
3 c. vodka
3 c. sugar
splash lemon juice

Cinnamon Cordial (“Red-Hot Cinnamon Cordial”)

4 cups vodka
1 pint red-bark cinnamon (NOT cassia sticks)
1 1/4 cup brown sugar

When I first tried mixing this on November 1, 2013, I used about 600mL vodka (less than a full 750mL bottle of Russkii Standard) and just the cinnamon. One month later, I added 1 c. brown sugar and another 2 c. vodka. On January 19, 2014 I strained the bark and added another 1/4 c. brown sugar. The vodka amount listed above is an approximation based on my notes from this experiment. 

The result was pleasingly spicy with just enough sweetness to smooth out the “bite” of the vodka to my liking, but feel free to adjust amounts as desired. Straining the cinnamon after a month or two seems to be key to avoid getting too many tannins that add bitterness — it might be possible to use less sugar with the same flavor if the cinnamon is removed sooner, maybe a few weeks to a month after initial bottling. 

September 2015: This smoothed out a bit in terms of alcohol, though it’s still spicy with a woody finish thanks to leaving the bark in as long as I had. Since I used to have a habit of gnawing on raw cinnamon, it’s a pleasantly nostalgic sensation for me but not for many other people. Maybe two months is still too long to steep the bark — next time, try aiming for just a few weeks or a month.

Citrus Cordial

5 clementines
2 oranges
1 lemon
1 vanilla bean
2 c. sugar
2 3/4 c. vodka

First batch bottled Jan. 16, 2012. Almost a year later, it had blended well. The cordial was on the sweet side, but made a delicious orangeade-flavored spritzer. Adding more vanilla would give a greater dreamsicle effect. The leftover fruit was also delicious.

Cranberry Cordial

12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries
1 ½ c. vodka
1 ¾ c. sugar
½ c. water

This is another one of my favorites. You may want to double or triple this recipe because once it’s gone, cranberry season seems like a lifetime away.

If you have access to a food processor, mince the cranberries to a fine pulp, as this will speed up the steeping time. Otherwise, cut the cranberries in half or break the skins.

2008 Variation: This was VERY successful and aged beautifully.

2 bags of 12-oz. cranberries, cuisinarted
3 1/2 c. sugar
3 c. vodka
1 c. water

The leftover fruit makes a great upside-down cake, especially if it’s been minced finely. Just put it in the bottom of a greased cake pan and pour a yellow or white cake batter on top. Avoid pineapple upside-down cake mix as the flavor doesn’t go as well with cranberries.

Ginger Cordial

3 cups dark rum
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped ginger

Mixed October 25, 2015. I didn’t save any notes on how this turned out, unfortunately.

Lemon Cordial

5 lemons, zest grated, chopped into quarters, and squeezed
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 c. vodka

Mixed February 5, 2022. Strained and tasted September 24, 2022: Probably should have strained it sooner but I forgot it existed. Delicious! A bit on the tart side, like a lemon drop candy. Kari was willing to drink it (despite not liking vodka) and said it makes a great hot toddy.

Mint Cordial

I threw this together sometime in 2013 and apparently forgot to record the recipe here — which is unfortunate, because it went over very well at a tasting! I used fresh spearmint from the garden (probably without the stems, possibly mashed, possibly at least a fistful since it’s been growing like a weed?). Vodka and sugar were the other ingredients, presumably.  By September 2015 it was sweet, reasonably smooth, albeit an opaque brown color.

For this cordial, I would NOT recommend going sugar-free. I remember making this batch up on a lark to see if I could have a different result than some friends who reported that their mint cordial tasted like mouthwash.

Nectarine and Plum Cordial

3 nectarines
10 black plums
4 c. vodka
1 c. water
2 c. sugar
1 squirt lemon juice

I made this in 2007 with some adjustment to the ingredients after it appeared I didn’t have enough fruit and vodka in proportion to the water. Live and Learn! The result was mellow and not overpoweringly sweet, a gentle cordial for late summer, with club soda to mix a cold spritzer.

Orange Juice Cordial

4 c. orange juice
4 c. brandy
1/2 c. sugar

This didn’t really steep so much as keep as a glorified cocktail. I eventually used it as a luxurious marinade/gravy ingredient for a roast turkey cooked like duck (link to recipe forthcoming) for the holidays, which turned out amazing.

Peach Cordial

5 small/medium local peaches, peeled and diced
3 cups vodka
2 cups sugar
splash lemon juice

Mixed and put away August 28, 2011. I wanted to make something with a similar flavor to a French “syrup” (cordial) made by Vedrenne, Creme de Peche de Vigne, which I had just a taste of in France that summer. The syrup is fermented directly from peaches, instead of using vodka, but their cherry and blueberry syrups are similar to some of my best cordials. After a year, I noted that it “wasn’t bad at all” — so, likely something worth redoing!

Alternate recipe to use up leftover vodka:

3/4 c. vodka
1/2 c. sugar
1 white peach, peeled (just over 1/2 c.)
1 thumbnail-sized nub of ginger, roughly chopped

Spiced Peach Cordial

1 bag of peaches: enough to fill ½ of a sun tea jar when chopped
2 c. sugar
1 bottle (750 ml) Brandy
2 3-inch long sticks of cinnamon
1 fistful of cloves (see notes below)
1 squirt lemon juice

I threw this initial batch together as an experiment in September 2008. In June 2009 I bottled it…it receives the OMFG rating on the Deliciousness Scale. This batch made roughly enough for 1 champagne-sized bottle and 2 10-oz bottles, plus 2 jars of leftover fruit.

Notes:

• Peaches: I used organic. Non-organic could probably be used, but the OMFG rating for this batch tempts me to stick with organic in case the alternative is less delicious. Not all peaches turned brown; some retained their original color. I’m guessing oxidization might have something to do with this. The brandied peaches would make a kick-ass boozy upside-down cake.
• Brandy: Korbel XS.
• Spices: Obviously I’m no stickler for scientific measurement on this subject. I don’t know if it’s possible to screw up cloves and cinnamon. If you feel more comfortable with exact measurements, my small fist may hold approximately ¼ cup of whole cloves. On another note, if you plan to recycle the fruit (boozy upside-down cakes are good for the environment, I’m sure), invest in an empty tea bag for the cloves. I was OCD enough to sort the cloves from the leftover fruit with my (clean) little fingers, but a bag for mulling spices will save the trouble.
• October 12, 2009 batch:
  • 2 750mL bottles of Korbel XS brandy
  • 6-ish large peaches
  • 1 generous squirt lemon juice
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 6-ish 3″ cinnamon sticks
  • fistful of cloves
  • By 2010: crisp, yet palatable flavor. Nice Christmas treat.

Persimmon Cordial

persimmons (2 pints’ worth?), frozen or mashed
2 c. vodka
2 1/4 c. sugar
splash lemon 
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
1 whole nutmeg (thumnail-sized)

I bottled this on December 20, 2008 with a shopping bag of frozen persimmons that had to be terribly freezer-burnt. Honestly, I wasn’t holding out much hope that it would be remotely edible, but when I tasted it June 23, 2009 I was pleasantly surprised. It had a rich, spicy flavor, albeit still sharp vodka-wise. I added the cinnamon and nutmeg and removed the fruit, then waited until the holidays for the vodka to mellow.

Pumpkin Cordial

3 c. pumpkin puree (add link to pumpkin bread recipe)
3 c. brandy
2 c. sugar
splash lemon juice
1 whole nutmeg
4 3-inch sticks cinnamon
1 tsp. whole cloves

Bottled November 17, 2011; filtered out the solids July 27, 2013. It tasted like pumpkin pie.

September 2015: the cordial had aged quite nicely, though its reception was mixed depending on how individuals feel about sweet drinks (it’s definitely on the sweet end of the spectrum) and spices. The clove is detectable, and a couple people at a tasting commented that it was too clove-y for them. One recommended removing the spices sooner to keep out the tannins — most people remove spices after a month or so, I think…I guess a year and a half was too long! I think I probably left mine in as long as I had because I’d forgotten about the cordial, so in the future it might be helpful to set a calendar reminder.

Pumpkin Butter Bourbon
November 18, 2024:
2 cups of pumpkin butter (add link to recipe)
2 cups of odds-and-ends and sample-size bottles of Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, and Evan Williams.

I made this on a whim to use up some extra pumpkin butter when I was too lazy to sterilize another jar. I shared it with my dad a week or so later at Thanksgiving, though we both agreed that it needed to be strained because it was pretty sludgy. Straining it after another week or so (giving it a little more time to steep) made it a hit at a mead-bottling party — though it’s possible everyone there was already cued up to drink sweet alcohol and this was available long before the mead.

Raisin Rum

3 cups dark rum
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
roughly 1 tablespoon flat cinnamon*

October 3, 2015: *I put the flat cinnamon into a paper tea filter tied to a string that sticks out from under the cork in the bottle with the intention of removing it in a couple weeks. Two weeks later, I removed the cinnamon and sampled the cordial. I tasted more cinnamon than anything else.

October 25, 2015: It still tasted like really spicy cinnamon cordial, so I added another 2 cups of rum and another 1/2 cup of brown sugar.

Raspberry Cordial

1 pint raspberries
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup vodka
splash lemon

This was a Summer 2011 experiment. By January 2012, it was smooth, lightweight (not syrupy), and sweet without being too sweet. It went down like juice and the alcohol catches up later…DAMN!

Serviceberry Cordial

This fruit grows on trees and are not terribly hard to find if you know how to identify them. The seeds are not edible, so cordials are a good way to make use of the fruit if a tree is conveniently nearby. This makes a smooth, sweet cordial with a delicate golden flavor. 

6 c. serviceberries (crushed or frozen)
2 c. vodka
1 1/2 c. sugar
splash lemon juice

(First batch bottled July 10, 2005. Still have some left; it’s nice for special occasions or summer spritzers and has mellowed nicely over time.)

Strawberry Cordial

1 32-ounce package of fresh strawberries, chopped
3 c. sugar
3 c. vodka
1/4 c. water
splash lemon juice

This turned out to be way too sweet. Works better as a mixer or ice cream topping.

“Tartberry” Cordial

This was something I mixed during a late December 2014 bottling when I discovered how harsh a sugar-free blackberry cordial turned out. It’s a mix of the blackberry with some extra blueberry and cherry cordials that I didn’t have the right size bottles for.

Vanilla Cordial

2 750mL bottles of dark rum (Bacardi Gold)
1 cup dark brown sugar
5 vanilla beans

I threw this together June 26, 2012 after looking up a few different recipes online. I doubled the rum from 1 bottle to 2 after the first few months, as the recipes I found all measured rum in cups and I’d forgotten that there aren’t that many cups in a fifth-size bottle. Also, I diced most of the beans but sliced one of them lengthwise.

November 2012: Very nice. The brown sugar dissolved well, less sweet than some of my others — the overall flavor reminds me of Sweet Lucy. I’d hoped for a stronger vanilla flavor, though I’m not sure how to get that without pouring in a bottle of extract.

June 2013: it’s a hit! drink up!

November 1, 2013 bottling:

6 vanilla beans (5 sliced lengthwise, 1 minced)
1/2 bottle Madagascar vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. light brown sugar
1.75 L Sailor Jerry spiced rum (minus 2-3 shots).

The Sailor Jerry brand rum seemed to have a bit more “bite” to it. Mincing one of the beans and adding the extract was an attempt to get an even stronger vanilla flavor, though I think the extract added some oil to the top of the liquid. The resulting flavor is still nice and vanilla-y (as of sampling in December 2014), though not as potent as the drops with black flecks of vanilla that got onto my fingers when I removed the beans from the strainer. I wish there were a way to fuse those flecks to the liquid throughout! There was some fear that having the beans in the rum for over a year would make the cordial bitter, but that does not seem to be the case.

Cordial FAILS

The following are experiments that I am listing only in the name of scientific research and should not be copied.  Please, DO NOT try these at home.

Honeydew Cordial
I tried this experiment in the hopes that the result would taste something like Midori:

3 c. chopped honeydew melon
2 c. sugar
2 ½ c. vodka

Maybe my honeydew wasn’t ripe enough.  Maybe I should have tried some other type of melon.  The result, however, tastes NOTHING like Midori.  It is sweet with a sharp alcohol flavor that tastes more like honey-flavored vodka than anything honeydew.

Piña Colada Cordial

This must be the worst experiment I have ever concocted:

2 whole pineapples, sliced, plus juice from package (water, grape juice concentrate, pineapple juice)
3 c. Malibu coconut rum
1 2/3 c. sugar

After 2 months, this tasted HORRIBLE. I proceeded to add more sugar and maybe a tablespoon of coconut extract, and this might have been the last nail in the coffin.  I’m not entirely sure.  I’m afraid I never tasted it again. Lesson: avoid Malibu rum and extracts.

Strawberries + powdered sugar

Powdered sugar apparently doesn’t dissolve well in vodka.