Homemade Orange Tea Cordial Recipe

The recipe

Exact quantities, then the method.

Think of this as a grown-up orange squash with the depth of real tea behind it. You brew the orange tea strong, then cook it down with sugar, fresh orange zest and a little juice into a syrup that lives in the fridge and only gets better for a day or two.

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Homemade Orange Tea Cordial recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/cocktails/homemade-orange-tea-cordial/

Splash one part into four parts cold water or soda for an orange cooler, or top it with hot water on a cold afternoon for an instant orange tea. The zest is doing the real work here, so grate it finely and do not be shy with it.

⏱ 25 min 🍽 Makes 500ml 📊 Easy 📚 Tea Cocktails (Adults Only)

You'll need

4 tea bags of Lipton Black Tea with Spanish Orange
500ml freshly drawn water at 100C, just off the boil
250g caster sugar
Zest of 3 fresh Spanish oranges, finely grated
100ml fresh orange juice (about 1 small orange)

Equipment

1 medium saucepan
1 fine sieve lined with muslin for straining
1 sterilised glass bottle of at least 700ml, with cap
1 saucer for covering the steep

Method

Brew the four tea bags in 500ml of just-boiled water for four minutes, covered, then lift out and press gently.
Tip the tea into a pan with the sugar, orange zest and orange juice.
Simmer gently for ten minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Strain through a muslin-lined sieve to leave a clear syrup.
Pour into a sterilised bottle while still warm, seal and chill.
To serve, mix one part cordial with four parts cold or hot water.
Keep it in the fridge and use it soon; we don't give a keeping time for home-made cordials and syrups. A squeeze of lemon brightens it if it tastes too sweet.

What you'll end up with: About 500ml of orange tea cordial in a bottle, twenty glasses once diluted, and good hot or cold.

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