With this recipe you can visit Green Gables with Anne and Diana — and make sure the right drink is served. This recipe takes a little planning ahead, but it’s definitely worth the wait!
You can use fresh raspberries, but frozen work just as well and are available all year.
36 oz. raspberries
1/2 c. lime juice
4 c. water
2 1/3 c. sugar
9 c. water
Combine your clean raspberries, sugar in a pan and cook over medium heat. You need to stir it frequently to keep the sugar from burning. I like to use my masher to stir it, and give the raspberries a good smash (or several smashes) each time. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the raspberries are completely mashed.
Now you have two options, depending on how patient you can be.
Option 1: The Quick Way.
When your raspberries are ready, strain them through a sieve* into a large bowl, using the back of the spoon to press the raspberries against the mesh to get as much of the juice out as possible. You can pour the 4 c. water over the raspberries now, or add it to the bowl after discarding (or eating) the raspberry mash. Stir in the lime juice.
Option 2: The Patient Way
Put the cooked, mashed raspberries into a bowl and pour the 4 c. boiling water over them. Let it cool, then refrigerate for 12-24 hours. (See, it takes a long time.) Remove from the fridge and put the mixture through a sieve* as above, then stir in the lime juice.
Add the remaining water and refrigerate several hours before serving.
* You can use a regular fine mesh sieve, or a jelly bag strainer. If you use the jelly bag, don’t press the raspberries once in the bag — the point of using this is to get the really clear liquid. If you use a mesh sieve, you’ll still get some little bits of the raspberry flesh through the holds, which makes the cordial cloudy — but those bits make it like drinking a raspberry.
- You can swap the lime juice for lemon juice or vinegar.
