Homemade Lemon Cordial (3 Ingredients)
This homemade lemon cordial is an old-fashioned syrup and forms the base of many refreshing summer drinks. Made without citric acid or tartaric acid, this easy lemon concentrate requires only 3 ingredients – lemons, sugar, and water. Perfect for lemonade, cocktails, and mocktails, or as a topping for your favorite dessert.
Every winter there comes a time when our neighbors, colleagues, and friends are almost begging to take a load of lemons off them when their lemon trees are loaded with the delicious zesty fruit. Homemade lemon cordial is a great way to preserve the abundance of lemons, turning them into delicious drinks or a zesty topping for cakes and desserts.
You’ll only need 3 simple ingredients and 10 minutes of hands-on prep time. No citric or tartaric acid are required for this old-fashioned recipe.
Check out my hibiscus syrup and honey lavender syrup for more delicious drink concentrates.
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Homemade Lemon Cordial
Ingredients
- 1 cup lemon juice 4-5 lemons depending on size
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup filtered water
Instructions
- Sterilize a large glass bottle including the lid with boiling water.
- Juice lemons and measure out 1 cup of juice. Zest the lemon.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the filtered water to a simmer. Add the sugar and stir thoroughly until it has fully dissolved.1 cup filtered water, 1 cup sugar
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool down for 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Combine everything thoroughly and let it steep until fully cooled down.1 cup lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon zest
- Once cool, add it through a sieve into the sterilized bottle using a funnel. Close the bottle and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- This recipe makes about 2 cups of lemon cordial concentrate. Mixed in a ratio of 1:4 (1 part cordial, 4 parts water (still or carbonated) which makes 2 liters of classic lemonade).
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and substitutions
- Lemons – You need about 4-5 fresh lemons depending on size for 1 cup of lemon juice and the zest of a lemon. If you’re using store-bought lemons make sure you wash them thoroughly before zesting them. You can substitute some oranges with limes or oranges. Just make sure the juice-to-water and sugar ratio remains the same.
- Sugar – This recipe works best with white sugar, or mild-flavored honey if you want to avoid a lot of sugar. Raw or brown sugar changes the flavor I don’t recommend using it.
- Water – I recommend using filtered cold water for the citrus cordial.
- Other flavors – You can add essential oils or fresh mint, ginger, rosemary, or verbena to your cordial alongside the lemon juice for a more complex flavor.
Ways to use lemon cordial
The easiest way to make a refreshing lemon drink is by mixing 1 part lemon cordial with 4 parts still or carbonated water in a glass. You can add ice cubes and some mint leaves to make it extra refreshing.
Alternatively, you can fill a large pitcher with loads of ice and make a larger batch.
Apart from homemade lemonade, this cordial can also be used in the following lemon drinks and desserts:
- Hot lemon drinks such as a hot toddy
- Lemon-based cocktails such as lemon drop, whiskey sour, limoncello mojito, gin fizz, French 75, vodka lemonade, or cosmopolitan
- Lemon-based mocktails featuring ginger, lime juice, orange juice, mint, or rosemary – perfect on a hot summer’s day
- Lemon iced tea
- Pink lemonade or chia lemonade
- Lemon ice popsicles
- Use as a lemon syrup for drizzle cakes
