Too Many Chefs

I remember another attempt you made at an infusion of mint in vodka. None of us were brave enough to try it and the stuff sat in that little bottle for three years.

This sounds like a lot of fun. I have an alternate theory for why the sugar might help prevent mold growth - it may be that the sugar will create osmotic pressure on the mold cells preventing them from getting going by sucking the water out of them. This is the same reason honey doesn't spoil.

You can count me among those who don't think you're crazy. Overly original, perhaps, but not crazy.

Ah yes, the mint. That was an unfortunte experiment, underaken without a recipe and with very little common sense. I tasted it once or twice but it just tasted like vodka with mint. And then the mint leaves went black and when I came back to visit you two years after moving out the little bottle was still on the shelf in your house. Mmmm...now who's the crazy one?

I thank you for the support, however. Just be glad I didn't buy you a wormery for your wedding present! (I almost did for my brother but then thought of his poor bride and refrained...)

If you had bought us a wormery, I think it would have ended up as a salad bar for the cats...

Your cats are smarter than that.

That reminds me of the phrase the www.wigglywigglers.co.uk people use for one of their products: "live bird food"!

Well thank you for the wonderfully explicit process of making Raspberry Cordial - i was given a recipe by an old english woman at a party and she added whiskey to hers (50/50) and she swore to me that she never drinks!!!!
I will try your version (hers involved no mixing and a 3 month fermentation but involves more $ due to the whiskey addition) and will report back with either failure or success!
Merci Beaucoup for sharing!

This raspberry cordial recipe is not at all far-fetched! I grew up in a small city filled with people of Polish descent and new Polish immigrants who did this very process. Most people had large raspberry brambles in their backyards and in the summer, huge glass jars filled with the berry/sugar mixture lined front porches as far as the eye could see (we kept them out in the sun, capped with a generous helping of cheesecloth to keep any unwanted additions out)!

It works and it is delicious. I hope everyone enjoys it!

I just want to be sure is one kg equal to one liter in dry ingredients? I want to get started on this recipe for the holidays!!!!

This is actually a raspberry wine recipe. A cordial uses the fruit or herbs to flavor the already fortified alcohol, like vodka or brandy. It does not use the fruit to make the alcohol, which is what is occurring here.

Steph, one kilo does not necessarily equal one litre in dry ingredients. It does for water, but the density of dry ingredients varies (as does liquid come to think of it) so you really need to measure the sugar in weight.

Justin, I checked the epicurious dictionary and the Merriam Webster and they both define cordial simply as "liqueur". And according to M-W, liqueur is "a usually sweetened alcoholic liquor (as brandy) flavored with fruit, spices, nuts, herbs, or seeds". I haven't hit the make-your-own-alcohol sites but it seems that cordial is not an unreasonable name for it on the surface!

Anyway, hope you try it and like it! I just called it cordial because it sounded like something a couple of maiden great-aunts could safely drink...!

Thanks Meg that is what I thought. so i have to weigh the two ingredients then? i don't have a weight balance yet but just out of curiosity how much in US measurements for sugar and raspberries?

Thanks Meg that is what I thought. so i have to weigh the two ingredients then? i don't have a weight balance yet but just out of curiosity how much in US measurements for sugar and raspberries?

Whatever you want to call this, it's wonderful. Just bottled a batch I started late in the summer, and i'm thrilled with how well it turned out. Thanks Meg for the recipe.

Whatever you want to call this, it's wonderful. Just bottled a batch I started late in the summer, and i'm thrilled with how well it turned out. Thanks Meg for the recipe.

Whatever you want to call this, it's wonderful. Just bottled a batch I started late in the summer, and i'm thrilled with how well it turned out. Thanks Meg for the recipe.

I've started my raspberry patch and I can't wait to try this Cordial concoction.

WE UP HERE USE THREE GALLONS FRESH BERRIES MASHED 1 GOLLON WATER 3 CUPS SUGAR HEAT TO DISSOLVE SUGAR LET COOL MIX WITH BERRIES LET SIT 24 HOURS ADD 2 BOTTLES 190 EVERCLEAR SIT 24 HOURS STRAIN AND BOTTLE IN DARK WINE BOTTLES CORK PUT IN DARK PLACE READY TO DRINK IN 30 DAYS BUT WILL LAST IN BOTTLES MORE THAN A YEAR IF YOU LEAVE ALONE BUT SORRY THIS IS THE BEST BY FAR TRUST ME I BEAT EVERYBODYS

WE UP HERE USE THREE GALLONS FRESH BERRIES MASHED 1 GOLLON WATER 3 CUPS SUGAR HEAT TO DISSOLVE SUGAR LET COOL MIX WITH BERRIES LET SIT 24 HOURS ADD 2 BOTTLES 190 EVERCLEAR SIT 24 HOURS STRAIN AND BOTTLE IN DARK WINE BOTTLES CORK PUT IN DARK PLACE READY TO DRINK IN 30 DAYS BUT WILL LAST IN BOTTLES MORE THAN A YEAR IF YOU LEAVE ALONE BUT SORRY THIS IS THE BEST BY FAR TRUST ME I BEAT EVERYBODYS

OPPS 6CUPS SUGAR SORRY!

As far as the air issue goes: as the raspberries break down, the sugar is transformed into alcohol.

The by-products of this is carbon dioxide, not oxygen. It's the same gas used to carbonate fizzy drinks with. So if you use a tight enough lid, and strong enough bottle you can produce fizzy raspberry cordial...

This definitely sounds like something I want to try. Do you know if thawed frozen raspberries would work just as well as fresh ones?

Allie, you can use defrosted or fresh raspberries just as easily as frozen ones. I would probably be a little more vigilant in keeping an eye out for the odd spot of mold, though, as they break down very quickly. Just be careful to cover the last layer of raspberries well with sugar and use a spoon to pick away any moldy bits. Once it starts fermenting (a matter of a day or two) you won't need to worry any more.

Hope you like it!

Thanks, Meg! I'm about two weeks into the process now and it seems to be going along well. Another question, though, have you tried using other types of fruit? What about adding spices or additional flavorings? Thank you!

Barry, I would like to try your recipe. What size bottle of Everclear do you use?

The conversion of sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide is the result of natural yeasts that are airborne, and also found on the skins of fresh fruit (particularly the "bloom" on fresh grapes, which is why mushed up grapes eventually become wine). Frozen fruit will probably have been "cleaned" so will have less natural yeast on them, but there should be enough "ambient" airborne yeasts to get a batch going - failing that you could add a little bakers yeast if you're feeling basic, or maybe some wine-making yeast if you want to be a bit more fancy.

My mother (Polish connections again) used to make raspberry juice using just sugar and raspberries layered in a jar. I never thought of it as alcoholic, it didn't seem to ferment. I'm wondering whether the fact that she put a thick layer of sugar on top of each layer of fruit just extracted juice and prevented fermentation? Anyone know about this? It is part of my childhood memories and it was great to find this recipe.

3 GALLONS BERRIES RASBERRY/BLUEBERRY/BLACKBERRY IS THE BEST I THINK BUT BLUEBERRY PRETTY GOOD ALSO AND STRAWBERRY KIWI MADE THEM ALL AND ALL GOOD.1 GALLON DISTILLED WATER.SIX CUPS SUGAR TWO FIFTHES 190 PROOF EVERCLEAR.STRAIN AND PUT IN DARK BOTTLES BROWN WINE BOTTLES BEST STORE IN COOL DARK PLACE GOOD AFTER 30 DAY,S STORE LONG TIME.

It's wild yeast within the raspberries which is causing your fermentation.

Frozen raspberries may or may not work, dependant upon whether the yeast has died or just gone dormant.

I did this and I think it's been 2.5 or 3 months sitting in the pyrex bowl with cheesecloth over it. It smells a little moldy. The raspberries are crunch and don't taste good--they have a slight flavor of mold. The liquid is completely opaque and extremely thick, pretty much like store-bought honey. Is this right? I am not sure I would give this to someone as a gift. Along the way I've spooned out some to top icecream, and it was fabulous, but it tastes just a bit moldy now. I don't see any mold, though.