Cordials fall into two categories: homemade or commercially produced liqueurs that we see during the period we’re looking at, or the English-style non-alcoholic fruit syrups that typically contain juice (such as Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial). I wanted to do something non-alcoholic for this month (and to roll into a very close-to-my-heart theme for August), so I am choosing to make a more English-style cordial with the unbeatable combination of raspberry and lemon.

Inspired by blackberry "brandy" recipes in old household manuals, as well as the French liqueur crème de mûre, this is my attempt to capture the fleeting experience of drinking a berry-packed Port Cobbler on a summer’s day. Ruby port (and other complementary fortified wines like strawberry-infused vermouth, if you like) is infused with fresh blueberries and blackberries, sweetened, and fortified with Old Tom gin or genever.

Ratafias originated in western Europe as a mistelle-like liqueur made with the pits of stone fruit. But the genre expanded to be made with all sorts of things–a range of fruits, nuts (like nocino!), spices, roots, herbs, seeds, and flowers. And dozens of these recipes can be found in pre-Civil War household manuals. I loved the idea of making a “mocha” ratafia, combining recipes for coffee- and cacao-based examples. 

Dating to the late seventeenth century in England, Cherry Bounce is a homemade liqueur made with tart cherries, sugar, spices, and spirit. I make two different versions: rye with vanilla bean and brandy with warming spices. Both are positively ambrosial and a beautiful taste of summer on a cold winter’s night.

This Concord grape grenadine was used in two drinks back in October of 2020, which was our inaugural month!

These baked pears are easy to execute and are an essential ingredient in Clapp’s Favorite Cobbler (October 2022).

Acid-adjusting is a process by which a less acidic fruit juice (such as orange or pineapple) are "adjusted" with acid powders in order to bring them to the acidity level of lemon or lime. This one makes pineapple juice the acidity level of lemon.

I once wrote a piece for BA about rhubarb shrub and it was a real hit, because people love rhubarb and they love shrubs! This versatile ingredient is great for mocktails and shandies as well as punches and fixes.

This shrub was part of our Pimm’s Month in April 2022. It’s a great way to add fresh cucumber flavor to drinks and can stand in as the acid component in place of citrus. It’s also an important component in our Club Pimm’s Bar, an entertaining concept that capped off Pimm’s Month.

This is the ginger syrup we use at Gigantic—it’s made by using ginger and water, blended and strained, as the base, giving it a very fresh, spicy flavor.

This 3-for-1 prep task creates a garnish, a syrup, and the granita that forms the stunning base of the Skiing Waiter, a Club favorite from January 2021.

We used this wintry infused Campari in January 2021. It’s a great way to winterize a spritz, Negroni, or Americano!

I took a page out of the pastry chef’s playbook and roasted lightly-sweetened strawberries to concentrate the flavor. Used in our Roasted Strawberry Daiquiri (June 2022)—but equally good over vanilla ice cream.

This is the key ingredient in the Bitter Bellini, which is an ode to the peach-and-prosecco drink invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice.

This acid-adjusted orange juice appeared in one of our January 2022 recipes, but it’s a versatile ingredient. It’s adjusted to have the acidity of lemon juice, so you can sub it into your favorite sour recipes and get the added flavor of orange.

This lime oleo is inspired by the oleo saccharum that forms the sweetening base for traditional punches. We used in in our March 2022 Irish Whiskey Cocktail History recipes.

Cordials typically employ in their manufacture citrus peels and citrus and/or other fruit juices. (It's the juice that differentiates them from a syrup). I've never seen anyone use roasting / heating in this way for a cordial -- the innovation was inspired by wanting to capture the roasted clove-studded-orange flavor typical of Christmastide.

This pumpkin syrup delivers pumpkin-pie spiced deliciousness, but thanks to a bit of miso, it’s got a subtle salinity and dimension.

This is the Bloody Mary mix used in our Borscht Belt Bloody from July 2023.

These two versions of mint syrup are ideal for Mint Juleps and served us well during our deep-dive into that drink’s history in April of 2024.