Spiced Cherry Cordial
This recipe was adapted from Dr. Salmon's Family Dictionary or, Household Companion (1710 edition), which was a popular resource in eighteenth-century American cookery. This cordial was used in our Summer Drinks on the Erie Canal month (July 2021), and the spent cherries added to the aesthetic of that month’s Lockport Sling.
INGREDIENTS
5 limes
1 cup sugar
½ cup very warm water
1 cinnamon stick
1 whole nutmeg
6-8 coffee beans
⅔ lb. sweet cherries
Yield: approximately 10 oz. (~a little over 1 cup)
Zest limes; set limes aside for juicing later. In a blender or food processor, combine zest with sugar and warm water. (You don’t want very hot or boiling water, so as to avoid any mishaps when blending.) Blend for 30 seconds. Pour blended mixture into a medium saucepan.
In a ziploc bag, lightly crush cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and coffee beans, without pulverizing the spices. Add sweet cherries (not pitted) to pan along with spices. Turn heat to medium-high til it reaches a near boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer 20-25 minutes. You should we cherries breaking down a bit and releasing their juices.
Fish the cherries out using a slotted spoon and let cool. Fine strain the syrup so spice solids are removed and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, juice limes until you have 2-3 oz., straining out pulp. Add 2 oz. lime juice to syrup and taste; if it needs more acid, add lime juice by the ¼ oz. until desired tartness. (Cordials should have a nice tart-sweet balance!) Pit the reserved cherries and store them until ready to use for garnish on the Lockport Sling. If you've got extras leftover, freeze them for a batch of Summer Sangaree, or use sooner to top vanilla ice cream.