Cordial

What cordial means

A recipe may call for cordial, and the bottle you need depends on where the recipe was written. Older US recipes mean a liqueur, a sweetened spirit with alcohol. British recipes mean a non-alcoholic fruit syrup, so check the source before you buy anything.

In a Gimlet, lime cordial is both the sweetener and the sour. It is a sweetened lime concentrate, so one bottle covers both jobs. That is why the Gimlet is such a short list of ingredients, and why it is an easy drink to build at home.

One popular idea is that a cordial is always non-alcoholic. That holds only for the UK meaning. US law sets the same minimum sugar for a cordial as for a liqueur, 2.5% by weight. So a US cordial such as crème de cassis is a sweetened spirit, not a soft drink.

How to use cordial in cocktails

Check which kind of cordial the recipe means before you pour, since the US and UK words point to different bottles.

1.Look for Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice in US shops, since that is the name Rose's uses for its lime cordial there.
2.Stir or shake gin with lime cordial for a Gimlet, the classic use of this cordial.
3.Dilute a UK-style cordial with water before drinking, since it is made as a concentrate.
4.Mix elderflower cordial with soda water for a quick no-alcohol highball.

Cordial compared

LiqueurUnder US rules a cordial is a liqueur. In the UK, the same word means a non-alcoholic syrup.
SyrupA plain syrup is sugar and water with flavor. A UK cordial is a fruit syrup, often with acid, made to be diluted.
JuiceJuice is pressed fruit. Cordial is sweetened and concentrated, so you dilute it before drinking.
SquashIn Britain, squash is a close relative: a concentrate that usually has more fruit and is diluted even more.

Examples

Related terms

Ingredients

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.