Taste of Summer

This is one of those childhood recipes. You know… those treats that you only got to taste once or twice as a kid. My mother did not make this cordial despite all the begging but luckily now as an adult, I can make all the blackcurrant leaf juice I want and so should you. The cordial epitomes the taste of the summer garden. Are you ready?

How to get started making Blackcurrant Leaf Cordial?

Blackcurrants are popular for the berries but the leaves should not be ignored either. Not only are they fantastic flavor agents in pickling but can also elevate many sweet things in the form of a cordial.

The blackcurrant plant does not get offended at all when you pluck its leaves. Only blackcurrant leaves (cassis) have the aroma, don’t mix with other varieties.

Choose fresh, medium green leaves and ignore the damaged ones. Towards the end of summer, you want to pay attention when choosing the leaves. The rule of thumb I’ve learned is that the leaves are plucked before the berries are fully developed.

Now, timing this depends on where you live, the quality of the summer, and the fact what kind of plants you have since there are early and late blackcurrant varieties. Do not worry though. To make 2,5 liters of blackcurrant leaf cordial, you only need 60-70g of fresh black currant leaves.

How can I use the blackcurrant leaf cordial?

And as I mentioned, you only need 60-70g of fresh black currant leaves to make 2,5 liters of blackcurrant leaf cordial. That’s a lot of cordial. You can make a smaller batch and still give a gift bottle to a neighbor.

When the cordial is stored in sterilized glass bottles, you can reimagine summer again whenever you feel like it. Make killer cocktails or blackcurrant leaf popsicles. Or impress everybody with your blackcurrant leaf sorbet! So many ways to use this cordial in the kitchen.

If you’re still not sure if the leaves are okay, let’s take an example from our cottage garden. Our blackcurrants (the berries) are usually picked in early August so making this leaf juice from early June to late July is usually possible. The age of the plant is a factor, however. We trimmed and cut down our blackcurrant plants last year so we’re not getting too many berries this summer. Instead, the currants are crazy growing new branches and the leaves are a vibrant green still in August.

Blackcurrant Leaf Juice | Recipe

The following recipe gives you 2,5 liters of cordial with a blending ratio of 1:5. Remember to sterilize bottles, seals, corks, and whatnot as well as the filter bag.

Each leaf weighs approximately 1 gram so you’ll need 60-70 grams of leaves. Should you have less than that, consider making a smaller batch of the cordial. But this is not that serious.

Blackcurrant Leaf Juice Cordial

Print recipe

Makes/Serves: 2,5 litres Prep Time: 10-12 hour Cooking time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

INGREDIENTS

• 2 liters blackcurrant leaves (approximately 65 grams)
• 1 lemon
• 2 liters water
• 1200 g caster sugar
• 25g citric acid

METHOD

Pluck 2 liters of blackcurrant leaves. Wash them thoroughly and set them aside. Boil 2 liters of water and then transfer the leaves into the kettle. Let the kettle cool.

Add 25g of citric acid and juice of a lemon into the cordial mix. Cover the kettle/dish with a lid and leave at room temperature overnight (up to 12h). Wash the juice bottles so that they can dry overnight.

The next day, place your washed bottles in a cold oven and heat them at 125°C / 257°F for 15 minutes. Dip the seals, corks, and the cloth in boiling water.

Strain the juice mixture into a kettle. In addition to a strainer, filtering the juice through a sterilized muslin bag* is a good idea. Finally, press all the juice from the leaves. Add sugar and slowly bring the juice cordial to boil (takes 15-20 minutes). 

When bubbles hit the surface, remove the kettle from the stove. Bottle the hot cordial (not boiling) to the hot bottles. Leave little air space in the bottles and close them immediately.

Leave the bottles to cool at room temperature, then transfer to the fridge. The cordial will keep 3-4 months in the fridge. Alternatively, you can bottle cold cordial into freezer-friendly cans or boxes, and store it in the freezer for longer.

NOTES

Use the blackcurrant leaf cordial for juices, summer fizz, popsicles, sorbet, and other desserts.

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What if I don’t have citric acid?

Citric acid enhances the blackcurrant leaf flavor and preserves the juice longer. If you don’t have citric acid, I suggest you add an extra lemon and freeze the cordial in suitable containers/bottles.

Did you know you can also make blackcurrant leaf sparkling aka Louhisaari drink?

Homemade blackcurrant leaf sparkling is prepared in a similar manner as my other homemade fizz sima (find the fermenting method here in my post). This Finnish bubbly summer drink is called ‘Louhisaari drink’ after the 17th-century manor where president Mannerheim was born. The man was a serious gourmand and made the drink famous (the original recipe reference here in Finnish). This summer I took the shortcut and just mixed the blackcurrant leaf cordial with bubbly water with a stronger ratio. Kippis and cheers!

Love, Saara