Cumquat Cordial

The original recipe for this was in ounces and pints and came from a woman who lived near us; her life was a story of resilience and hard work, intelligence and cheerfulness. As time passes and I learn more about life's challenges, I find her even more inspirational. Mrs O'C gave us recipes and conversation; challenged us to think critically but act pragmatically; loaned us boxes and boxes of books and encouraged us to believe that we could achieve whatever we set our minds toward.

As my boys made their own version of Cumquat cordial recently I thought of Mrs O'C and what a wonderful woman she is. My parents brought an enormous bag of cumquats a week ago so D helped me juice them and we made the real thing - it's tangy and sweet and a hundred times better than any commercial mix.

I've removed the sodium benzoate preservative, which means you need to store it in the fridge/freezer. The best cumquats for this are the round sourer Calomondin variety - they are also best for Cumquat jam.


~Cumquat Cordial~
2 1/2 cups cumquat juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups water
900g white sugar
1 teaspoon citric acid

To juice the cumquats, halve them and squeeze over a seive in a bowl. Reserve the seeds and freeze them for use in setting jam.

Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Dissove the citric acid in a little hot water and stir in.

Stir in the juices while the sugar water is still warm, then bottle in sterilised bottles. Store in the fridge or freeze until needed.

Once makes almost 2 litres of cordial.