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.

We used this lemon syrup in December 2020’s Victorian Christmas-themed recipes. It’s meant to mimic the lemon peel and sugar mixture of classic punches.

A syrup that first appeared in my Yuletide class in December 2020. It also gives my Barnstable Punch its signature Christmasy flavor.

I developed this lime-ginger syrup for a pair of recipes that appeared in The Great Eater Campout in the spring of 2021. It also appears my Improved Holland Gin Cocktail (Java edition).

Homemade liqueurs were common in the eighteenth-century. This brandy-based ginger liqueur is a great item to have on your bar. Beyond October 2021’s Tavern Month drinks, you can try subbing it in for other liqueurs in your favorite templates.

This spiced brown sugar syrup has deeply autumnal flavors and molasses notes. It served us well in Eighteenth-century Tavern Month (October 2021).

Simple syrup is the most elemental of all cocktail syrups. It adds sweetness without adding much flavor, allowing other ingredients to shine.

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).

Ginger syrup can be used in a variety of cocktails from Sours to stirred drinks. We used this version, which is sweetened with honey, for our Summer Drinks on the Erie Canal Month (July 2021).

This citrus cordial is ideal for the height of citrus season, when much of the U.S. is bitterly cold. It’s an important ingredient in two of January 2022’s drinks: a sour called An Orange Among the Pines and a citrus-tinged spritz, the Sbagliato D’inverno.

I developed this peach shrub around using up liqueur from a previous month in place of sugar. I love the way it turned out. It figured heavily in July 2021, when we explored the Erie Canal’s heyday.

“Apriçao” is an Al’s Cocktail Club original. A pleasing mix of peach or apricot liqueur and Curaçao, it popped up in a few of our June 2021 recipes.

I developed this strawberry meringue to top an Edwardian punch for April 2025’s Secret Garden theme. I like how it’s like a pink cloud floating on a fruity punch!

Orgeat is an almond syrup that was used long before “tiki” got started, but became much more famous as a tropical ingredient, especially as a component in the Mai Tai. This recipe is adapted from the Fort Defiance house recipe.

We used this vanilla syrup (borrowed from Gigantic) for our March 2023 Gold Rush-themed drinks.

This is the strawberry syrup we make at Gigantic that uses a muddle-and-heat method that Ned developed for our raspberry syrup. It’s very good!

Rich demerara syrup pops up a lot in the tropical genre and beyond. We used it in our 1930s- and ‘40s-inspired Tiki Month (June 2021).