Fresh rhubarb growing in the garden with large green leaves and pink-red stalks
cordial drinks kitchen recipe rhubarb summer
2 min read

Homemade Rhubarb Cordial — A Glorious Pink Summer Recipe

There's something wonderfully satisfying about turning a glut of garden rhubarb into a bottle of jewel-bright cordial. This recipe makes just over half a litre — about a pint — of the most glorious pink cordial you'll ever taste.

Fresh rhubarb growing in the garden with large green leaves and pink-red stalks

What You'll Need

  • 1kg (2.2 lbs) fresh rhubarb stalks
  • 550ml water (about a pint)
  • 300g (10 oz) sugar
  • Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

  1. Chop the rhubarb stalks into small pieces and simmer in a large saucepan with the water for 10 minutes, or until the rhubarb has softened.
  2. Strain the rhubarb through a jelly bag, linen tea towel, or fine sieve, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Don't discard the fruit — save it for crumbles, cakes, or a cereal topping.
  3. Pour the juice into a clean pan and add the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla essence.
  4. Boil for 10–15 minutes until you have a syrup-like consistency.
  5. Pour into a sterilised jar or bottle, seal, and cool to room temperature.

To Serve

Pour about an inch of cordial into the bottom of a glass and top up with fizzy or still water to your taste. Add a slice of lemon and a couple of ice cubes. Refreshing, beautiful, and utterly summery.

The cordial keeps in the fridge for about 2 weeks — or pop it in the freezer if you want to save some for later. Kick back and enjoy!

A Few Tips for the Kitchen

Straining the rhubarb through one of our hand-printed linen tea towels works beautifully and gives you a wonderfully clear cordial. Our tea towels are made from pure linen — naturally absorbent and strong enough for the job, and far lovelier than a disposable cloth.

Once you've made your cordial, cover the leftover rhubarb pulp in a bowl with one of our reusable linen bowl covers to keep it fresh in the fridge until you're ready to use it in a crumble or cake.

Three linen bowl covers in duck egg blue, green, and natural colours displayed on bowls

And when you sit down to enjoy your cordial, why not lay the table with a set of our Hedgerow linen napkins? The botanical print feels perfectly at home alongside a glass of pink rhubarb cordial.

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