Kummel Cordial
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Pour boiling water over the sugar in a china-lined kettle.
Stir over heat until dissolved.
Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 20 minutes.
Set aside to cool and then strain.
Flavour and store
When lukewarm, add the alcohol and Kummel oil.
Stir to mix thoroughly.
Bottle and store for at least 1 month before using.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Granulated sugar
- Dissolves into the boiled water to form a syrup that sweetens the cordial.
- Best alcohol
- Carries the flavour oil and gives the cordial its spirit strength.
- Kummel oil
- Provides the caraway and cumin flavour that defines the cordial.
The step that matters
Add the alcohol and Kummel oil only when lukewarm. Alcohol evaporates readily and is flammable when hot, and heat can drive off volatile aroma compounds from the oil, so cooling the syrup first keeps the spirit and flavour in the bottle.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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