Blackcurrant cordial turns a summer glut into a dark, sharp syrup to dilute to taste through the winter. This version follows a tested berry syrup recipe and finishes the jars in a boiling-water bath, so unopened jars keep in the cupboard instead of filling the fridge.
- Makes
- about 2.1 litres, roughly nine 250ml jars
- Keeps
- sealed, water-bathed jars up to a year in a cool, dark cupboard (see the storage table for other options)
- Ready to use
- as soon as it's cool; jars are ready to store once sealed, 12 to 24 hours after the bath
- In season
- midsummer onwards (approximately June to August, depending on variety); frozen blackcurrants work too
- Time
- about an hour of cooking and bottling, plus draining time and an overnight cool
Ingredients
- about 1.5 litres blackcurrants, fresh or frozen, measured in a jug
- water, just enough to stop the fruit catching
- 1.4kg white sugar for 1.2 litres of strained juice
Weigh the sugar against the juice you actually get; the table below scales it.
Method
- Strip the blackcurrants from their stalks, then wash and sort them.
- Crush the fruit with a potato masher, food mill or food processor.
- Put it in a large pan with only enough water to stop it scorching.
- Bring it to the boil, then simmer until soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Tip the hot pulp into a colander over a bowl and let it drain, without pressing, until it's cool enough to handle.
- Strain the collected juice again through a jelly bag or a double layer of muslin. Don't squeeze the bag.
- Measure the juice. Expect about 1.1 to 1.2 litres, and weigh out the sugar to match (see the table below).
- Get the jars ready: clean, hot preserving jars of no more than about 500ml with new two-piece lids (a flat sealing lid plus a screw band). The 10-minute bath means they don't need sterilising first, though it does no harm (see how to sterilise jars).
- Put a rack in a deep pan of water and heat it to about 82°C, hot but not boiling, ready for the filled jars.
- Put the juice and sugar in a clean pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring all the time.
- Take the pan off the heat and skim off the foam.
- Fill the hot jars, leaving about 6mm (a quarter inch) of space at the top, and fit the lids.
- Stand the jars on the rack, with the water covering them by at least 2.5cm, and bring it back to a full boil.
- Once it's boiling, time 10 minutes (15 minutes if you live above about 300m, or 1,000ft).
- Turn off the heat and wait 5 minutes, then lift the jars out without tilting them.
- Leave them undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours to cool.
- Check each seal: the lid should curve down slightly in the centre and not spring back when pressed. If a jar hasn't sealed, fit a new lid and put it through the bath again within 24 hours, or treat it like unbathed syrup (fridge or freezer).
Sugar for your juice
The amount of juice varies from batch to batch, so weigh the sugar once it's strained. For amounts in between, allow about 117g of sugar for every 100ml of juice.
| Strained juice | White sugar |
|---|---|
| 600ml | 700g |
| 900ml | 1.05kg |
| 1.2 litres | 1.4kg |
Why the sugar stays
Sugar is what keeps the cordial. At this strength, bacteria are unlikely to grow, though some moulds and yeasts can cope with sugar. Cutting it leaves more room for them and shortens the keeping time. There's no tested reduced-sugar version of this syrup, so make it as written and dilute it more if it tastes too sweet.
How long it keeps, and where
If you've always bottled cordial hot and put it straight in the cupboard, keep this one in the fridge or freezer unless it has been through the bath.
| How it's stored | Where | Keeps |
|---|---|---|
| Water-bathed and sealed, unopened | Cool, dark, dry cupboard (about 10 to 21°C) | Best within a year |
| Any jar, once opened | Fridge | No set time; use it steadily and check it each time |
| Hot-filled only, no bath | Fridge | About 2 weeks, as a guide |
| Frozen in small tubs | Freezer | Best quality within about 8 months |
Label and date every jar. To freeze it, use small containers so you only thaw what you need, and leave about 2.5cm at the top because the syrup expands as it freezes.
Use jars of 500ml or smaller with two-piece lids; the 10-minute bath was worked out for those sizes. Swing-top, corked and screw-cap bottles, and clip-top jars with rubber seals, can't be checked for a seal, so keep syrup in those in the fridge or freezer. If you're buying jars for the first time, jars for preserving compares the lid types, and how long preserves keep sets this syrup alongside jams and chutneys.
Freeze the berries now, make cordial later
A heavy crop can arrive when there's no time to stand over a jelly bag. The recipe works with frozen fruit, so the berries can wait in the freezer. Spread the stripped berries in a single layer on a tray, freeze them, then pack them into bags or tubs so they don't clump together. They're best used within about 3 months for quality, though they stay safe for longer. There's more on freezing soft fruit.
That lets you split a crop: some into blackcurrant jam while the fruit is fresh, some into the freezer for a cordial on a quiet day. For the rest of a big crop, see dealing with a glut of blackcurrants and redcurrants. The blackcurrant growing guide covers when and how to pick, and the July guide lists what else needs doing while the bushes are cropping.
When cordial goes wrong
Before opening a stored jar, check that the lid is still curved down. Throw away any jar with a lid that has lifted or bulged, liquid that spurts out, rising bubbles or streaks of dried syrup down from the top, mould, or a fermented, yeasty or alcohol smell. Don't taste it to check. Don't skim off mould and drink the rest; toxins have been found in mouldy preserves.
Serving it
Dilute to taste with still, sparkling or hot water, starting with a little cordial and adding more. It can also go undiluted over ice cream.
Common questions
Can I use less sugar?
No. Less sugar leaves room for moulds and yeasts, and no lower-sugar version of this recipe has been tested. If it's too sweet, add more water when you mix it.
Can I use frozen blackcurrants?
Yes. The recipe works with fresh or frozen fruit, which makes it a good use for berries frozen at the peak of the harvest.
Do I have to use a water bath?
Only for cupboard storage. Without the bath, pour it into sterilised jars, keep it in the fridge and use it within about 2 weeks, or freeze it in small tubs.
How much water do I mix it with?
Dilute it to taste. Start with a small splash of cordial in a glass and add more until it tastes right.
Why is my cordial cloudy?
Pressing or squeezing the jelly bag pushes pulp through. For the clearest juice, let it drip through on its own.
Sources
Show the 12 sources
- Recipe proportions based on: Making Berry Syrups at Home, SP 50-632 (Oregon State University Extension): Full recipe and ratio (5 cups juice to 7 cups sugar, converted to 1.2 litres to 1.4kg; half batch 600ml to 700g); 6 to 7 cups fresh or frozen fruit (about 1.5 litres); wash, stem and sort; crush with masher, food mill or processor; boil and simmer until soft 5 to 10 minutes; drain in colander then strain through jelly bag or double cheesecloth without squeezing; juice yield about 4.5 to 5 cups; boil and simmer 3 minutes stirring constantly; skim; clean hot half-pint or pint jars (236ml/473ml, so no more than about 500ml); quarter-inch headspace; boiling-water bath 10 minutes, 15 minutes from 1,001 ft (about 300m); yield about 9 half-pints (about 2.1 litres); no reduced-sugar version; processed before room-temperature storage; fridge once opened; freezing with 1-inch (2.5cm) headspace
- Extracting Juice for Jelly (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Only enough water to prevent scorching for berries; clearest juice dripped without pressing or squeezing (FAQ on cloudiness)
- How to Make and Preserve Elderberry Syrup Safely (University of Maine Cooperative Extension): Unprocessed homemade syrup in the fridge for 2 weeks, or frozen up to 8 months for best quality (a general figure for homemade syrups)
- Food Safety and Labelling Guidance for small scale home producers of chutneys, pickles, flavoured oils and jams (Scottish Borders Council): High sugar means bacteria are unlikely to grow but some moulds and yeasts tolerate sugar; amount of sugar essential for safety; don't reuse lids
- Sterilization of Empty Jars (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Jars on a rack covered with water by 1 inch (2.5cm) in the boiling-water setup; pre-sterilising needed only for products processed under 10 minutes (so clean hot jars suffice for a 10-minute bath)
- Storing Home-Canned Jams and Jellies (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Discard for mould, yeast, or a fermented, yeasty or alcohol smell; reduced-sugar products lack the full preservative effect of sugar
- General Information on Canning Jams, Jellies, and Marmalades (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Mycotoxins found in mouldy preserves (don't scrape off mould)
- Cooling Jars and Testing Jar Seals (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Cool 12 to 24 hours; seal test (lid curved down, doesn't spring back); unsealed jars reprocessed with a new lid within 24 hours, or frozen
- Using Boiling Water Canners (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Water at least 1 inch (2.5cm) over jars; preheat water to 180°F (about 82°C) for hot-packed jars; start timing once boiling; wait 5 minutes, lift jars without tilting
- Storing Home Canned Foods (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Label and date; cool, dark, dry place at 50 to 70°F (about 10 to 21°C); use within a year for best quality; spoilage signs; don't taste suspect jars
- Berries e.g. blueberries, strawberries (Love Food Hate Waste): Open-freeze berries on a tray first so they don't clump; frozen berries up to 3 months (quality figure in the glut section)
- How Long Can I Store Frozen Foods? (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Frozen fruit stays safe after the quality period, just lower in quality