🫐 WILD BERRY BALSAMIC CORDIAL

Written By Tré Taylor

What began as a simple berry compote became one of those delicious accidents worth keeping. Fresh blueberries and raspberries simmer with brown sugar, vanilla, Meyer lemon, balsamic vinegar and a touch of salt until they become a rich, jewel-colored Wild Berry Balsamic Cordial.

This homemade nonalcoholic berry cordial is a beautiful holiday cocktail and mocktail mixer for everyone at the table. Add a splash to sparkling water or lemon-lime soda for an easy zero-proof drink, shake it into a festive mocktail, or pair it with Champagne, vodka or gin for holiday cocktails. It can even brighten tea, desserts, sauces and savory recipes.

Make a bottle for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve or your next gathering—and make an extra one to give away. Sometimes the simplest homemade gifts become the things people remember most.

From The Nomad Kitchen with Tré Taylor — where delicious accidents happen. tretaylor.com

One Homemade Syrup, Six Gorgeous Holiday Drinks

The Nomad Kitchen with Tré Taylor
Love • Music • Food • Art • Fun

Some of the best recipes aren't planned.

They happen because you're standing in a kitchen with beautiful fruit, a saucepan and enough curiosity to say:

What happens if I keep going?

This one started as a fresh blueberry-raspberry compote for crêpes.

Then came brown sugar. Vanilla. Meyer lemon. A pinch of salt. And finally, the ingredient that changed the whole damn thing:

Balsamic vinegar.

Cooked slowly, the berries became dark, glossy and intensely concentrated. The balsamic didn't make it taste like salad dressing—it gave the fruit depth. The salt woke everything up. Vanilla rounded the edges. Brown sugar brought a little caramel darkness.

And suddenly I wasn't looking at compote anymore.

I had made a Wild Berry Balsamic Cordial.

It's completely nonalcoholic, so everybody gets invited to this party.

Make a bottle for Thanksgiving. Bring one to a holiday party. Give one to your favorite bartender. Pour it into sparkling water for somebody who doesn't drink. Add a splash to Champagne on New Year's Eve.

Or hide it in the refrigerator and refuse to explain yourself.

I support all of these choices.

WILD BERRY BALSAMIC CORDIAL

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

  • 3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar, to taste

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar, plus more to taste

  • Juice of 1 Meyer lemon

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Optional: Meyer lemon zest, blackberries, or a tiny additional splash of balsamic at the end.

Make It

Combine the blueberries, raspberries, brown sugar and water in a saucepan.

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries completely soften and release their juices.

Add the balsamic vinegar, Meyer lemon, vanilla and salt.

Continue simmering gently until the mixture becomes deeply colored, glossy and intensely flavored. You're looking for concentrated berry flavor, not candy.

Taste it.

Too sweet? Meyer lemon.

Too sharp? A little brown sugar.

Needs something but you can't figure out what? Before throwing the spice cabinet at it, try another tiny pinch of salt.

That's cooking.

For a smooth cocktail cordial, strain through a fine-mesh strainer while still warm, gently pressing the berries to extract their liquid.

Don't throw away that fruit. Spoon the strained berry pulp over pancakes, crêpes, French toast, yogurt, ice cream or cheesecake.

Cool the cordial completely, transfer to a clean bottle or jar, and refrigerate.

Important: This is a fresh refrigerated cordial, not a shelf-stable canned syrup. Make small batches, keep cold, and discard it if you notice spoilage.

1 CORDIAL. 6 DRINKS.

1. THE LITTLE WILD BERRY

The Kids' Holiday Mocktail

Think Shirley Temple's slightly more sophisticated berry cousin.

Fill a glass with ice.

Add:

  • 1 tablespoon Wild Berry Balsamic Cordial

  • 6 ounces lemon-lime soda

  • Squeeze of fresh lime

Stir gently.

Garnish with raspberries, blueberries or a lime wheel.

It's fizzy, pink-purple, sweet, tart and festive—and there isn't a bottle of commercial grenadine anywhere near it.

For less sweetness: use half lemon-lime soda and half sparkling water.

2. THE LEOPARD LOUNGE BERRY SPRITZ

The Grown-Up Zero-Proof Cocktail

This one is for the person who isn't drinking alcohol but still wants a real drink.

Fill a beautiful wineglass with ice.

Add:

Give the mint a little slap between your hands before adding it.

Yes, slap the mint.

It knows what it did.

Stir gently and garnish with more mint and fresh berries.

Dry, tart, herbal, bubbly and decidedly not children's punch.

3. THE BERRY SUNSET

Orange-Berry Sparkling Mocktail

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.

Add:

Shake until very cold.

Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass and top with:

  • 2–3 ounces sparkling water

Garnish with an orange twist or raspberry.

The orange softens the balsamic while lime keeps the drink bright. Serving it up instead of over ice makes a nonalcoholic cocktail feel like an occasion rather than a consolation prize.

AND NOW, THE ADULTS MAY MISBEHAVE.






4. MIDNIGHT BERRY CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

This is the New Year's Eve drink.

Add 1–2 teaspoons Wild Berry Balsamic Cordial to the bottom of a Champagne flute or coupe.

Slowly top with:

  • 4–5 ounces very cold Champagne, Crémant, Cava or dry sparkling wine

Add a thin Meyer lemon twist.

That's it.

Don't overwhelm good sparkling wine. The cordial should appear like a dark ruby ribbon and quietly perfume the glass.

Toast. Kiss somebody appropriate. Or inappropriate. I'm not running your New Year's Eve.

5. WILD BERRY VODKA FIZZ

Fill a shaker with ice.

Add:

Shake hard.

Strain over fresh ice and top with:

  • 2–3 ounces sparkling water

Garnish with lime and berries.

Clean vodka lets the cordial remain the star. This is probably the easiest cocktail in the collection to adjust from tart to sweet.

6. FAIRY TEA AT THREE GARDEN GIN SPRITZ

Gin loves berries.

Gin loves citrus.

Gin loves herbs.

Therefore gin has been invited.

Fill a shaker with ice and add:

Shake briefly and strain over fresh ice.

Top with:

  • 2 ounces sparkling water

Garnish with mint, berries and a curl of citrus peel.

For a more delicate version, reduce the cordial to 1 teaspoon and serve it long with additional sparkling water.

BONUS: PUT IT IN THE TEAPOT

Wild Berry Balsamic Cordial isn't only for cocktails.

Start with one teaspoon stirred into a cup of hot tea and adjust from there.

Try it with:

Earl Grey for bergamot, berry and vanilla.

English breakfast for a stronger traditional tea that can stand up to the fruit.

Hibiscus tea for a spectacular ruby-colored caffeine-free version.

Mint tea for something fresh and clean.

I'd skip the milk at first. Citrus and balsamic acidity can behave badly with dairy, and the cordial deserves to be tasted clearly.

BEYOND THE GLASS

Once this bottle is in the refrigerator, experimentation becomes inevitable.

Whisk a spoonful into vinaigrette. Brush it onto pork or chicken toward the end of cooking. Stir a little into mayonnaise for a berry-balsamic sandwich spread. Spoon it onto baked Brie. Drizzle it over vanilla ice cream. Add it to lemonade. Swirl it through yogurt.

And, of course, pour it right back over the crêpes that started this whole delicious accident.

MAKE IT A HOLIDAY GIFT

Pour the cooled cordial into a small clean decorative bottle and add a handwritten tag:

WILD BERRY BALSAMIC CORDIAL
Blueberry • Raspberry • Meyer Lemon • Vanilla • Balsamic

Keep refrigerated.

Pour • Splash • Fizz • Mischief

Then attach the six drink ideas—or send your lucky recipient to the recipe.

Because a homemade gift doesn't have to be expensive.

Sometimes it's berries, brown sugar and an afternoon at the stove.

And sometimes that little bottle ends up being the first thing everybody asks about at the party.

From The Nomad Kitchen with Tré Taylor
Where delicious accidents are always welcome.

Tré Taylor
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