Chamomile is a small, white, and unassuming flower that's often growing in gardens and flower fields all across the globe. It's famous for its medical benefits and is commonly used for brewing tea.
But chamomile can also be a superb addition to other drinks besides tea. For instance, it works in lighter summer drinks.
Chamomile cordial brings in herbal notes, sweetness, and the slightest hint of bitterness when mixed in a Spritz cocktail.
You can also try it in the Ve.n.to cocktail. -Actually, it calls for chamomile liqueur. However, as the liqueur is often hard to get, cordial can work as a replacement and creates a less boozy version.
When used in cocktails, bartenders often opt for chamomile in form of a cordial. That way, the drink is not only flavored but also sweetened at the same time.
Read on, and let me show you how you can make your own chamomile cordial at home.
Common types of chamomile
Although many think there's only that one kind of chamomile, in reality, there are many different types and versions of the plant.
A total of eight different plant types run under the name chamomile inside the plant family of the Asteraceae.
Usually, German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) and Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum Nobile) are the sorts we find in teas and other herbal infusions. Also, only the flowers of chamomile are used.
In some cases, chamomile is also a component in the brewing process of beer. It adds some bitter flavors to the brew. And in that case, not only the flowers but the whole plant is processed.
What is Cordial?
Cordials are pretty similar to syrups. In fact, a cordial is a syrup infused with herbs, spices, or other kinds of plants.
That's also why you'll find a vast selection of different cordial recipes, making it a perfect base to experiment with all kinds of cocktail recipes.
And cordials are not only a great addition to boozy cocktails. They are also excellent for adding flavor to mocktail recipes. And if you prefer it without any frills: it is also a nice refreshment when mixed with plain club soda.
Benefits of chamomile
Chamomile can be beneficial for a variety of health issues. It's commonly used as medication when you have a cold. And chamomile is also helping with reducing inflammation.
But have you ever heard that it also lowers your blood sugar, improves your quality of sleep, and helps to prevent & fight cancer?
A study from 2012 by Serbian Scientologists even poofed the effect of marigold and chamomile teas targeting cancer tumors.
Although I have to add that, apparently, the results for Marigold were better than that of chamomile. -Please note that this can always only be supporting treatment and never replace medical therapy.
How to make chamomile cordial
Chamomile is the classic herb for use in teas and does have a reputation of being rather unexciting.
Let's change that and turn it into a fancy cocktail ingredient in making chamomile cordial. And doing this isn't hard at all.
All we need is sugar, water, chamomile, and a bit of citrus peel. And the result will add a beautiful herbal chamomile note to your cocktails. So let's get started with our cordial.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Water
- 2 cups Sugar
- 4 servings Chamomile tea - 1 serving = 1 teabag or equivalent in loose tea
- 0.5 pcs lemon - Only the peel is needed
Instructions
- Gently peel a half lemon and put the peel aside. Make sure you only get the peel and not the white stuff.0.5 pcs lemon
- Put two cups of water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add the sugar. Bring the mix to a boil and stir it until the sugar completely dissolves.2 cups Water, 2 cups Sugar
- Turn off the heat and add the chamomile tea and lemon peel.0.5 pcs lemon, 4 servings Chamomile tea
- Cover the saucepan and let the mix cool down. This will normally take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.
- Once it reaches room temperature, you can fine strain the cordial into a bottle, let it cool down completely, and then store it in your fridge.