Kummel Cordial
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Pour boiling water over the sugar in a china-lined kettle, then stir over heat until dissolved.
Bring to a boil and let it boil for 20 minutes.
Set aside to cool and then strain.
Finish and store
When lukewarm, add the alcohol and Kummel oil, then 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 in boiling water to form the sweet syrup that gives the cordial its body.
- Alcohol
- Acts as the solvent and preservative, carrying the flavor and keeping the cordial stable.
- Kummel oil
- Supplies the caraway and cumin flavor that defines the cordial.
The step that matters
Add the alcohol only when the syrup is lukewarm. Alcohol is volatile and evaporates readily when hot, and very hot liquid can drive off aroma and lose flavor. Cooling the syrup first keeps the alcohol and the volatile oil in the liquid so the flavor stays intact.
“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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