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Recipes & Cocktails

Beyond the basic glass — creative cordial cocktails, mocktails, slushies, popsicles, and surprising ways to use cordial in your kitchen.

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Recipes

Cordial Recipes for Every Occasion

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Classic Lemon, Lime & Bitters

Australia's iconic pub drink — made at home in 30 seconds

Cold Easy Aussie Classic

🍹 Ingredients

• 30ml lime cordial
• Dash of Angostura bitters (3–4 drops)
• Ice cubes
• Sparkling water or lemonade
• Lime wedge for garnish

📋 Method

1 Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
2 Add lime cordial and Angostura bitters.
3 Top with sparkling water (or lemonade for a sweeter version).
4 Stir gently once. Garnish with a lime wedge.
5 For the classic pub version, use lemonade. For a lighter, more sophisticated version, use sparkling mineral water.
Tip: The Angostura bitters are what make this drink special — don't skip them. You can find them in the cocktail mixer section of any supermarket for about $12, and a bottle lasts for hundreds of drinks.
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Elderflower Gin Spritz

An elegant summer cocktail that takes 60 seconds to make

Cold Alcoholic Impressive

🍹 Ingredients

• 30ml elderflower cordial
• 45ml gin
• Juice of half a lemon
• Sparkling water to top
• Cucumber slices and mint for garnish

📋 Method

1 Add gin, elderflower cordial, and lemon juice to a wine glass filled with ice.
2 Top with sparkling water — about 150ml.
3 Stir gently to combine.
4 Garnish with cucumber slices and a sprig of fresh mint.
5 Serve immediately while fizzy and cold.
Tip: Use a floral gin (like Four Pillars or Adelaide Hills) for the best match. This also works beautifully as a mocktail — just omit the gin and double the sparkling water.
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Cordial Popsicles

The ultimate Aussie summer treat for kids (and adults)

Frozen Easy Kid Friendly

🍹 Ingredients

• 200ml cordial of any flavour (mixed to drinking strength)
• 200ml yoghurt (optional — for creamy version)
• Fresh fruit pieces (berries, sliced kiwi, etc.)
• Popsicle moulds

📋 Method

1 Mix cordial with water at a slightly stronger ratio than you'd normally drink (1:3 instead of 1:5) — freezing dulls sweetness.
2 For fruity popsicles: pour into moulds, drop in fresh fruit pieces, insert sticks, and freeze for 4–6 hours.
3 For creamy popsicles: layer cordial mixture with spoonfuls of yoghurt for a swirled effect.
4 For layered rainbow popsicles: freeze each layer for 1 hour before adding the next colour (use different cordial flavours).
Tip: Freeze leftover cordial in ice cube trays for instant flavoured ice cubes. Kids love choosing their own flavour combinations — set up a "popsicle station" with 3 different cordials and let them create their own.
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Cordial Slushie

A frozen cordial drink that's better than anything from a shop

Frozen Easy Summer

🍹 Ingredients

• 60ml cordial concentrate (any flavour)
• 2 cups ice cubes
• 150ml water
• Optional: fresh mint or frozen fruit

📋 Method

1 Add ice cubes, cordial concentrate, and water to a blender.
2 Blend on high for 20–30 seconds until you get a smooth slushie consistency.
3 If it's too thick, add a splash more water. Too thin, add more ice.
4 Pour into a tall glass. Garnish with fresh fruit or mint.
5 For an adult version, add 30ml of vodka or white rum before blending.
Tip: Raspberry, mango, and lime cordials make the best slushies. For a thicker, more "snow cone" texture, use less water. For slushy-smooth, use more.
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Cordial Syrup for Pancakes & Waffles

Turn breakfast into something magical

Hot Easy Breakfast

🍹 Ingredients

• 100ml cordial concentrate (lemon, berry, or passionfruit work best)
• 50g butter
• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• Pinch of salt

📋 Method

1 Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2 Add cordial concentrate, honey/maple syrup, and a pinch of salt.
3 Simmer gently for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and becomes glossy.
4 Remove from heat and let it cool for 2 minutes (it will thicken further).
5 Drizzle generously over pancakes, waffles, or French toast.
Tip: Lemon cordial butter sauce is absurdly good on pancakes. Berry cordial sauce works brilliantly drizzled over vanilla ice cream too. Make a double batch and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
Quick Ideas

More Ways to Use Cordial

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Cake Drizzle

Poke holes in a freshly baked sponge cake and pour over undiluted cordial. It soaks in and creates an incredibly moist, flavoured cake. Lemon cordial on vanilla sponge is heavenly.

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Salad Dressing

Mix 2 tbsp cordial with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp vinegar, salt, and pepper. Shake well. Raspberry cordial vinaigrette is unexpectedly fantastic on green salads.

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Hot Cordial

Mix cordial with hot water instead of cold for a warming winter drink. Lemon, ginger, or honey cordials work best. Add a cinnamon stick for extra cosiness.

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Granita

Freeze diluted cordial in a shallow tray. Every 30 minutes for 3 hours, scrape with a fork. The result is a beautiful, crystalline Italian-style ice dessert.

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Meat Glaze

Reduce undiluted cordial in a saucepan until syrupy. Brush over pork, chicken, or salmon before grilling for a sweet, caramelised glaze. Orange and ginger cordials work brilliantly.

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Buttercream Flavouring

Replace the liquid in your buttercream recipe with cordial concentrate. Raspberry cordial buttercream on chocolate cupcakes is a game-changer for kids' birthdays.

Ready to Explore Cordial?

From classic lemon barley to artisan botanical blends, discover everything about Australia's favourite mixed drink.

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