Bottled, ready-to-use citrus juice is far older than most people realize. Back in 1867, Lauchlan Rose, a ship chandler in Leith, patented a way to preserve lime juice using sugar and water instead of alcohol, creating the world’s first commercially produced fruit concentrate. The product known as Rose’s Lime Cordial became essential to the Royal Navy, as sailors were issued a daily ration of citrus juice to prevent scurvy on long voyages. They then started mixing their rationed lime juice with alcohol, leading to the creation of the Gimlet in the process.
A century later, that same idea of bottled, sweetened citrus resurfaced in a very different form: Sweet and Sour mix. This syrupy, neon-tinted bottle became a staple behind bars through the 1980s and 90s, and it solved a real problem: a single bottle standing in for both the sour and sweet components of a cocktail made drinks consistent pour after pour. This of course came at the cost of replacing bright, real citrus flavor with lemon concentrate, flavorings, and preservatives. But this trafeoff is no longer necessary thanks to Super Cordial.
Super Cordial is built to solve the same problem Sweet and Sour mix solved. To do this we’ll use the same acid-adjusted extraction behind Super Juice, using citrus peels, acid, and a touch of real juice to get a concentrated citrus flavor. This will then be mixed with sugar to pack everything into a single bottle that holds its freshness for weeks instead of days.
Super Cordial
- 11g Lime Peels
- 11g Lemon Peels
- 400g Water
- 220g Sugar
- 120mL · 4oz Vodka
- 1.2g Salt
- 19.2g Citric Acid
- 9.4g Malic Acid
- 0.3g Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
- Wash and peel citrus with declared edible, food-grade peels, keeping the amount of pith to a minimum.
- Add the peels to a blender along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Blend on high speed for about one minute.
- Strain through a muslin cloth to remove the solids, pressing gently at the end to extract as much flavor as possible.
- Bottle and label.
For a fully non-alcoholic version you can swap the vodka for an equal amount of water. The vodka isn’t required for flavor, but it extends shelf life and helps prevent overdilution, which is especially useful when making drinks with low ABV liqueurs as the base. Either way, since no fresh lemon or lime juice goes into the mix, Super Cordial holds its flavor in the fridge for weeks rather than days. For larger batches, The Cocktail Universe’s cordial calculator scales the recipe to whatever volume is needed.
Now let’s put this to the test in some cocktails.
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Sweet and Sour Daiquiri
- 60mL · 2oz Rum
- 37.5mL · 1.25oz Super Cordial
- Combine the rum and Super Cordial in a chilled shaker with plenty of ice.
- Shake to chill and dilute.
- Double strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass.
This approach is simple and can be used to create other drinks like Gimlets or Margaritas. You can also take advantage of the efficiency that comes with making Super Cordial to add in other ingredients to create even more elaborate cocktails, like the king of sours.
Sweet and Sour Whiskey Sour
- 60mL · 2oz Bourbon
- 37.5mL · 1.25oz Super Cordial
- 15mL · 0.5oz Vegg White
- Combine all ingredients in a chilled shaker with plenty of ice.
- Shake hard.
- Double strain into a chilled glass.
Here Vegg White serves as a vegan replacement to egg whites, and it requires no double shaking. This makes for a more efficient way to make a frothy sour, but you can of course replace it with classic egg whites. After this, all that is left is to experiment and test out the versatility of Super Cordial. Cheers!
