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    Home » Drinks

    Lilac Cordial

    Published: May 21, 2016 · Modified: Jan 3, 2019 by Gloria - The Greedy Vegan · This post may contain affiliate links · 26 Comments

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    There is nothing like the sweet, fresh scent of lilacs. If spring had its perfume, it would smell of fresh fruits and flowers, but not overbearingly so - just like the lilac. It is a scent that flows through late spring nights like perfume and smelling lilac cordial during the winter brings me straight back to the end of may.

    lilac cordial

    Most people have one of these bushes in their garden and little do they know how tasty they are. Lilacs make some of the best cordials and jams around. The flowers come in any shade ranging from snow white, pale yellow and burgundy to the darkest purple. While they are as decorative as can be, they are far more than just ornamental. Just like the elderflower they can be turned into a cordial. This lilac cordial takes a little bit longer to make, but it is well worth the wait. It tastes like a mixture between rose hips and gooseberry and is one of my favourite things to mix into cocktails.

    lilac cordial

    Before you get to make the cordial, you have to pick the flowers. You could buy them on the market but make sure they are not treated with pesticide because most commercially grown flowers are. I prefer to pick mine in the grasslands or forest nearby. They are relatively easy to spot due to their colour, and you can't possibly confuse them with anything else.  Their smell is very distinctive, and the four-petaled flowers grow in large panicles. Once you spotted them, carefully cut off the flower clusters and don't rip them off the tree. Collect them in a basket to give small wildlife the chance to flee or fly away. Don't pick too many, only about four handfuls of flowers are needed for this recipe. Please also remember to leave about two-thirds of any flowers on the bush you are picking from as these are very important to the local wildlife.

    Lilac Cordial

    Once you get home, carefully shake your harvest and pick the flowers off. Resist the urge to wash them, you will lose way too much flavour, and the petals will start wilting immediately. It's safe to say that your lilac cordial will not be as good if you fuss around too much with the flowers. Clean them as much as possible but don't worry if there is a tiny bit of green stem left on a few flowers - it won't ruin the cordial.

    lilac cordial

    Once you cleaned your petals, you are left with the task of bringing sugar and water to a boil, adding citric acid and pouring it over the flowers. You then seal the mixture in an airtight container. The flowers will look beautiful for a few minutes but will very quickly start losing their colour, but this is just what you want them to do. From here on the waiting game begins. I let my cordial develop for about a week. If you are in a hurry, you can open it after five days but wait the full week would be best. I like to give my mixtures a gentle shake every day or so to combine the flowers with the liquid. You will see that the colour of your lilac cordial starts going more and more ethereal - it is one of the most beautiful things I have in my kitchen.

    lilac cordial

    Once you open the jar, you will already smell the delicious fragrance of the cordial. Sieve the flowers out with a mesh sieve, and you are ready to enjoy your very own lilac cordial. It is divine with just cold water, a few ice cubes and a slice of lime but you can mix it into whatever you prefer or add it to baked goods. It adds a nice tartness to anything that you think tastes too sweet - I particularly enjoy using this in jams and jellies.

    lilac cordial

     

    Lilac Cordial

    The Greedy Vegan
    4.46 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course Cordial
    Cuisine Vegan
    Servings 45 servings
    Calories 74 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 40 g clean lilac flowers about 8 flowerheads
    • 1 ½ l water
    • 1 kg coconut sugar or sugar of your preference
    • 1 lemon the juice of it
    • 5 teaspoon citric acid
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Pour the sugar and the water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Be careful with it; hot sugar water is dangerous since the boiling point is a lot higher than water.

    • Once the sugar as fully dissolved take the pot off the hot plate, add the citric acid and let it cool down just a little bit while you assemble your other ingredients. It is important because the liquid is so hot at this stage that it could crack your jars.

    • Add the cleaned petals and juice of one lemon to a big jar or split it among smaller jars.

    • Pour the hot sugary water over your flowers and seal the jars immediately. Store in a dark and cool place for 5-7 days, gently shake the mixture every day.

    • After 5-7 days, strain the liquid through a mesh sieve and discard the flowers. Store the liquid in clean bottles or freeze it in an appropriate container.

    Notes

    To enjoy this lovely drink, add 3tbsp cordial to 300ml (1 ¼ cups) of water. If you prefer it sweeter, you can add more. The recipe is enough for around 45 glasses.
    Freeze the cordial in ice cube trays and store the cubes in a container for easy portioning.
     

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Lilac Cordial
    Serving Size
     
    3 tbsp
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    74
    % Daily Value*
    Sodium
     
    45
    mg
    2
    %
    Potassium
     
    3
    mg
    0
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    19
    g
    6
    %
    Sugar
     
    14
    g
    16
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    1.2
    mg
    1
    %
    Calcium
     
    2
    mg
    0
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Johanna Larsson

      May 26, 2016 at 1:04 pm

      5 stars
      This is a great adaptation of a Swedish national recipe! Greetings from Umea

      Reply
      • Gloria

        May 26, 2016 at 3:50 pm

        I didn't even know that it is a national recipe in Sweden. So great to hear that because it is just so delicious! I grew up in southern Germany. It is very common there as well. Now that I live in England I am trying to spread the lilac love. Sadly I couldn't find the really deep purple variety here so my cordial came out rather rose than "lilac". - Love, G.

        Reply
    2. Arlene Rivera

      May 27, 2016 at 12:42 pm

      5 stars
      This sounds so yummy! I love making cordials and I have never tried lilac though! I live in the city and don’t know if there’s anywhere I might be able to pick this. Do you have any advice on where I could get it, if I wasn’t able to pick it myself that is? Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Gloria

        May 27, 2016 at 1:35 pm

        You could try a farmer's market or a florist. Just make sure to ask if they are fit for human consumption as commercially grown lilac tends to be sprayed with pesticides. Personally I would stick with parks or ask friends if they have lilac or know anyone who has. For the lilac I picked I drove about 30 minutes to a more rural area. Hope this helps. - Love, G.

        Reply
    3. Val

      May 30, 2016 at 3:31 pm

      I have giant lilacs in my garden. Never knew they were edible. I tried this and it was fantastic. Can you do other things with lilac? Can you eat it raw?

      Reply
      • Gloria

        May 30, 2016 at 5:38 pm

        Yes and no. First of all the flowers taste vile when raw - I tried. It is recommended to heat them for a minimum of 20 minutes at 80°C / 175°F for safe consumption. Submerging them in hot sugary water is doing that. You can alternatively treat the flowers with alcohol. It is ok to scatter a few as decoration over a cake but I would not recommend eating them as salad or anything similar. Hope this helped. - Love, G.

        Reply
    4. Lisa

      May 31, 2016 at 3:43 pm

      What's golden sugar? I can't wait to make this with flowers from the lilac bush I bought mom! Always looking for unique summer cocktail ingredients ??✌

      Reply
      • Gloria

        May 31, 2016 at 5:00 pm

        It's sugar that is less refined than caster sugar. You can however also use regular white caster sugar. There is no real difference in taste - it is just personal preference. - Love, G.

        Reply
    5. Jessica

      May 31, 2016 at 3:47 pm

      5 stars
      Can you add vanilla to this? I made it and think vanilla would be great with it.

      Reply
      • Gloria

        May 31, 2016 at 5:02 pm

        You could most definitely. I would suggest adding a vanilla pod that is cut length wise to the sugar while it is heating and leave it in or add a few drops of vanilla essence if you prefer to not alter the colour. - Love, G.

        Reply
    6. Kate

      June 03, 2016 at 6:06 am

      That cordial is fantastic. Is there a way to make it actually purple? Like the lilac?

      Reply
      • Gloria

        June 06, 2016 at 10:52 am

        I assume you are referring to the many pictures of lilac cordial that has the actual lilac colour. There are no additives in those. They are made from the darker lilac varieties. They used flowers of a deep purple shade which results in the pastel lilac shade. The lilac flowers I used were very pale to begin with so I got a rather ethereal rosé shade.

        Reply
    7. Christina Lazaridou

      June 03, 2016 at 6:54 am

      That cordial is brilliant! Wish I knew that years ago. We have a GIANT lilac in the garden.

      Reply
    8. Anne

      June 05, 2016 at 8:32 am

      Made the cordial this year for the first time. Was fantastic? Can you replace the sugar with sweetener by any chance?

      Reply
      • Gloria

        June 06, 2016 at 10:47 am

        All I can say is that artificial sweetener does not work. I tried stevia and xylitol - was not palatable. You could try with agave syrup or maple but those come with their own flavours. I have not tried them yet. - Love, G.

        Reply
    9. george b

      June 06, 2016 at 11:36 am

      5 stars
      Fantastic!

      Reply
    10. Jen

      June 08, 2016 at 3:10 pm

      No! No! No! Mine has just gone out of bloom!

      Reply
      • Gloria

        June 10, 2016 at 12:33 pm

        Set a reminder for next year. That is all you can do for now. - Love, G.

        Reply
    11. Lela

      June 11, 2016 at 9:33 am

      This is fantastic. What else can you make with lilacs?

      Reply
      • Gloria

        June 13, 2016 at 12:30 pm

        You can turn your cordial into jelly or add it to ice cream or sorbets. Just to name a few. - Love, G.

        Reply
    12. Gina

      July 17, 2016 at 11:10 am

      5 stars
      Can you make this with dried flowers? I found a shop that sells them.

      Reply
      • Gloria

        July 18, 2016 at 8:26 am

        I am not sure I never tried.

        Reply
    13. SweetPea

      June 08, 2017 at 2:48 pm

      Found your blog today and love it. Can I use store bought flowers for this?

      Reply
    14. Shelly

      July 25, 2018 at 9:04 am

      This looks so lovely. Can I buy the flowers? I live in Moscow and can not find them in nature.

      Reply
      • Gloria

        July 25, 2018 at 10:40 am

        Hello Shelly, you can buy them but they are usually sprayed with pesticides. Ask the shop owner if he has some who are organically grown. - Love, G.

        Reply

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