When a lime tree decides to produce hundreds of fruit all at once, there’s only so much fresh lime you can use before you start looking for new ideas. Once I’ve dehydrated the zest for seasoning, my next job is turning the juice into a beautiful homemade lime cordial concentrate.
Unlike many commercial cordials, this one is packed with real lime flavour. The secret isn’t just the juice… it’s the zest. That’s where the fragrant citrus oils live, giving the cordial a fresh, vibrant flavour that simply can’t be matched by juice alone.
This recipe makes a concentrate, so simply dilute it with still or sparkling water to suit your own taste. Mix approximately one part cordial with four to six parts chilled still or sparkling water, depending on how strong you like it. Serve over ice and garnish with fresh mint or a slice of lime if you’re feeling fancy.
Don’t limit yourself to a glass of lime and soda. This concentrate is also delicious:
- Drizzled over fruit salad
- Added to cocktails and mocktails
- Mixed into sparkling water for a refreshing summer drink
- Brushed or drizzled over cakes and muffins as a citrus syrup
- Frozen into ice blocks or granita
- Added to marinades for chicken or fish
When you’ve got a bumper crop of limes, it’s incredibly satisfying to use every part of the fruit. Dehydrate the lime zest into powder to stock up your pantry staples or turn into delicious seasonings, either preserve 100% lime juice, or make cordial from the juice, and let nothing go to waste (including composting whatever you have left in your bokashi composting system). That’s modern homesteading at its best.
Homemade Lime Cordial Concentrate
Makes: Approximately 1.2 litres of concentrate
Ingredients
- 3 cups white sugar
- finely grated zest of 6 limes
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 teaspoons citric acid
Method
- Wash the limes well before zesting to remove any dirt or residue.
- Using a fine grater, grate the zest from 6 limes, taking only the outer layer and avoiding the bitter white pith.
- Place the sugar into a saucepan and add the grated zest. Rub the zest through the sugar for a minute or two. This helps release the aromatic oils from the zest and gives the finished cordial an even brighter lime flavour.
- Add the water to the saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Juice the limes until you have 2 cups of juice.
- Stir the fresh lime juice and citric acid into the warm syrup and continue heating until the mixture is hot, but not boiling.
- Remove from the heat. Strain through a fine sieve if you prefer a clear cordial, or leave the zest in if you don’t mind a little texture.
- Pour the hot cordial into hot, sterilised bottles or jars and seal immediately.
- For a shelf-stable product, follow an approved hot-pack and boiling water canning process.
Storage
- Refrigerate after bottling if not water-bath processed.
- If properly preserved using a boiling water canning method, store sealed bottles in a cool, dark place until needed.
- Once opened, keep refrigerated and enjoy within a few weeks.
