My grandmother used to give us mildly sweet drinks. She served lemon barley and other cordials in thin little glasses with frosted patterns and gilt lips. I would empty my glass in about two seconds flat, then sit there politely as she twittered and fussed, running my fingers over the slightly raised frosting.
A few weeks ago, at the morning tea after her funeral, the crematorium happened to serve lemon barley along with the tea and coffee and I was taken right back.
Now I'm home again, I'll make my own. My neighbour's tree is burgeoning with lemons, and this cordial is easy to make. Even better, it's chemical-free, very refreshing, and keeps in the fridge for weeks.
Lemon Cordial - about 15 lemons Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice into a saucepan. Strain it if you want, but I leave the pulp; I like a little texture. Add the caster sugar, and heat until simmering. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then pour into clean glass bottles. Leave to cool, and refrigerate. To serve, pour cordial into a glass, then top up with tap water or plain mineral water. One part cordial to four parts water tastes about right. (Local: lemons. Not local: sugar.) |
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