Cordials - is citric or tartaric acid necessary?

[Peleep]

hi all

been thinking about making my own ginger and lemon grass cordial as it is so delicious with sparkling water! All recipes I've seen for cordials seem to have either citric or tartaric acid in them.

Any ideas what this is for? Is it disastrous if it is not included in the recipe?

thanks!

[judydawn]

Peleep, I had trouble finding an answer to this one but eventually found these statements which may answer your question.

'Some cordials use citric acid and tartaric acid. These are natural acids extracted from lemons and oranges that are used to intensify the flavour of cordial.'

and this one

'What is important is to add citric and tartaric acids in some form as fruit cordials made without them seem to me to be not nearly as good.'

[Peleep]

Thank you Judy.... sounds like its inconclusive....

i'll try to make one without the citric acid and see what happens.  You can't buy citric acid in supermarkets or pharmacies in the UK!

[daska]

Try a pharmacy. (My local Boots is tiny but the even smaller independent pharmacy always has it in stock.)

In addition to improving taste their primary use in fruit cordials is as :

 - antioxidants - in the same way as you would add lemon/organge juice to a fruit salad to stop the bananas and strawberries etc from going brown

 - preservatives - by increasing the acidity of the food to make it less attractive to microorganisms.

It really depends on taste, ingredients and how long a shelf life you need/want.

[Cornish Cream]

Peleep Amazon sell citric acid and free postage

[Peleep]

thanks! Good old Amazon does the trick every time. I should've checked!