Day 140 – Rhubarb cordial

I wrote a few weeks ago about how much I love the taste of rhubarb but had never used it in the kitchen before. I was making some rhubarb and ginger cookies at the time and was surprised how tasty and easy it was. The cookies were such a big success that I wanted to make them again but accidentally bought too much rhubarb. What to do with the excess? Make rhababerschorle!

Rhababerschorle is a popular drink here in Germany, basically a rhubarb syrup mixed with gently sparkling water, and is generally on offer in every pub and restaurant: it is so refreshing on a hot day that it’s my go-to drink during the summer. I’ve never had it at home though, and I’ve definitely not made anything like it, so today was the day…

I found a really simple recipe on Kitchen Stories and scaled it right down to fit the amount of rhubarb I had. You just add rhubarb, sugar, and water to a pan and let simmer for 15 minutes. So much easier than I had thought!

I let it sit in the fridge for a while before trying it, but I was a bit disappointed: the flavour was so weak. Granted, this is probably my own fault, but it felt very weak.

I tasted a bit of the syrup after and it was really potent, so I definitely didn’t put enough in – I definitely know for next time! I also think it would taste better with a little squeeze of lemon too, just to balance it out nicely.

This was a fun little experiment and a great way to use up some excess rhubarb. I’d consider making this again if I was in a similar situation, but I won’t make it just because. To me, rhababerschorle/rhubarb cordial goes hand in hand with sitting in a beer garden on a sunny day, relaxing with friends and family – not exactly the same experience sat inside at home.