Cordial vs. Syrup vs. Presse

[agp]

Does anyone know the difference between the three? I'm looking to buy some elderberry... um... liquids, and found these different types at Chef's Warehouse website. Not sure which one is the purest form of elderberry liquid. Any input is appreciated!

[Lucretia]

I believe a cordial is alcohol infused with the fruit and a syrup is sugar & juice.

[pumbaa]

lucretia is correct. cordial typically means with alcohol like a cherry cordial usually has a brandied cherry in it, but the ones you get at the store are a cordial style. syrup is sugar and liquid such as simple syrup 1 part water to 1 part sugar, or super saturated syrup which is 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. and presse from what i remember is usually citrus based such as lemon, line, or orange and is almost like a lemonade if you used lemon. the purest would be extract or puree, with syrup being next, then cordial and presse would be flavored/altered.

[Lucretia]

I recently inherited a book with some of my grandmother's hand-written recipes. She had this one for peach cordial--could be modified for elderberries if you can find any. If you decide to make peach cordial you might want to skip the pits--they have some cyanide compounds in them.

"Wash about 5 lbs of perfect ripe peaches, dry them and cut them into quarters. Break half of the peach pits in two. Put the peaches and the broken pits into a gallon wide mouth jar that has a tight fitting screw lid. Boil together two cups of sugar and two cups of water for about 45 minutes or until thick and syrupy. Cool this and add to the peaches. Add 2 sticks of cinnamon and 6 coriander seeds. Over this pour a fifth or a quart of 100 proof vodka. Screw on the cover of the jar, put it into a large paper bag to keep it from the light, and keep it in the buttry (sic) or kitchen in a warm place for 8 weeks. Occasionally stir the contents gently by holding the jar in your hands and swirling it a bit. Filter the cordial until clear, then bottle. The peaches may be added to the tutti-frutti jar or may be cut into small pieces and served on ice cream for a dessert. This recipe will produce about 3 pints of cordial. It is best kept for six months before using."

And for those of you who don't remember granny having a tutti-frutti jar, it was a jar in the kitchen that had fruit, sugar, and alchohol added to it on a regular basis--used in cakes, on ice cream, or when grandpa was being a pain in the arse.

[tkern]

odd this question came up; I'm stuck in the restaurant overnight for the inauguration crowd and I decided to make a blackberry cordial to reduce to possibly use on a scallop dish.

[Lucretia]

...I decided to make a blackberry cordial to reduce to possibly use on a scallop dish.

That sounds mighty fine!