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To this day, Anne of Green Gables remains one of my favorite childhood literary characters. The feisty orphaned redhead that won the heart of millions of Canadian readers has never had a serious contender for taking over first place in my heart. I desperately wanted red hair – as fervently as dear Anne wanted to get rid of her own ginger locks- and to this day I sigh longingly when I see someone with fabulous red hair.
I was quite certain for the longest time that any daughter I had was going to be named Anne with an E, until probably the age of sixteen when all thoughts of children and beloved childhood heroines flew right out of my mind with the onset of high school.
My dog-eared Anne books are sadly long gone in what we now refer to as The Great Birthday Fire of my parents acreage barn but the sentimental mother in me simply cannot wait for the day my daughter is old enough to read the Canadian classics and we can go purchase new books for her together.
The day I learned that Anne of Green Gables had been turned into a TV movie was one of the most exciting of my life. The movie was made in 1985 and was on at Christmas time almost every year for a good 8 years, I would guess. I still remember being glued to the TV screen seeing my favorite redhead come to life thanks to the talent of actress Megan Follows, who simply could not have done a better job of being Anne.
One of the most memorable scenes of the movie is where Anne and her bosom friend Diana are having tea and being quite the adult ladies, you see. Marilla has told Anne that she is allowed to serve raspberry cordial to Diana and Anne has produced what she thinks is raspberry cordial for Diana to enjoy.
The bottle turns out to be Marilla’s currant wine, in fact.
Even if you haven’t read the book, you can see where this is going. Diana ends up three sheets to the wind, Anne is labelled a terrible influence and is forbidden to see her bosom friend.
How this is resolved is up to you to read in the most amazing books ever.
Reading the Anne series of books left me with a deep desire to drink raspberry cordial… and it’s taken me twenty-odd years to do it.
I had to make my own, apparently, since it’s not something I have come across in my travels yet.
Cordial recipes abound on the internet but there is nothing clearly definitive on cordials. Some are alcoholic, some recipes have you crush the berries and some simply soak the berries for 48 hours then strain the liquid that is left. It seems to me that cordials are mainly alcoholic, but in the books the Prince Edward Island version of the drink is non-alcoholic and I wanted to stay true to it.
I didn’t want waste, so I knew that I wasn’t a soak and strainer, I simply must capture all the juice in the berries. Alcohol definitely wasn’t important as I wanted to make this cordial something to ADD to alcohol when company was over, but still have a great mixture to pour over club soda or seltzer for the kids to enjoy.
So this is my completely made up recipe. It might not have been what Marilla made, but I sure feel like Anne when I drink it.
Now I just need red hair….oh, the temptation, it’s just eating away at me! Red hair for fall, doesn’t that just seem so lovely and seasonal somehow?
This is a super sweet raspberry concentrate that isn’t mean to be drank alone, even though I did try it of course. It’s absolutely divine over a seltzer, perhaps with a wedge of lemon and you can even just thin it out with water and ice cubes.
I really hope that you enjoy this recipe! If you haven’t, go and read the Anne of Green Gables books and make sure to share them with your children. Have an Anne of Green Gables tea party and sip this raspberry cordial with your little readers, laughing and exulting over that fiery redhead’s loveable antics together.
Love,
Karlynn
How To Make Anne of Green Gables Raspberry Cordial
Ingredients
- one four liter pail of freshly picked cleaned raspberries
- 4 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup of honey
Instructions
- In a large non-metallic bowl, crush the raspberries with a potato masher or similar utensil.
- Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the crushed berries; stir in the lemon juice.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool, dark place for 24 hours.
- The next day, pour the crushed berries through a cheesecloth to sieve out the particles.
- This will take a while as you have to let the liquid slowly seep through the cloth.
- Place the liquid in a pot and bring to a boil on the stove.
- Add the honey and stir in.Add in the sugar to taste, but do not add more honey. Honey can override the raspberry taste in this recipe, but adding half a cup will gives it a gorgeous depth of taste that plain sugar doesn’t.
- Boil the liquid another three minutes.
- The juice will last in the refrigerator a good month.
- If you want to can it, ladle the juice into prepared sterilized pint jars immediately, leaving ¼-inch headspace.
- Wipe the jar rims and tighten the screw bands onto the jars.
- Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, or 15 minutes if you are more than 6000 feet above sea level.
- (Juice canning times from https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/apple_juice.html)
- Cool the jars, label and tuck away for winter!
- (This will yield four pint jars of cordial
Nutrition
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Morgan Munro says
What if I don’t have access to fresh raspberries? Can I use frozen?
Also, this is the recipe that introduced me to your website and we use your recipes regularly now!
Carrie Millar says
Last year I found this lovely recipe…with everbearing raspberry plants, this recipe was the prefect match. I agree, a “hint’ of honey takes raspberry cordial to a different level.
It keeps wonderfully in the freezer and so lovely to pull out come the winter.
So this year, lots of raspberries and now lovely cordial, thank you for an easy to follow and delicious raspberry cordial.
Marianne says
I’m not sure, but I might be the only commenter that actually made this? Anyhow…absolutely delightful! I am hosting an Anne of Green Gables party and this drink item was an absolute must, of course! Glad I found the “most exquisite of all” raspberry cordial recipes!
Note: I almost didnt make it because I wasn’t positive of the amount of raspberries to buy, as I currently don’t have access to ripe berry bushes at the moment and no 4-liter pail! So, for those (like me) who prefer a more concrete measurement, I used 11 of those little 8 oz. Packages from the supermarket. Was expensive, but it worked!
Judy E White says
In total honesty I haven’t tried your cordial, I’m writing to you for another reason. In reading your profile you said that you loved Anne of Green Gables. I wanted to let you know that Anne’s story is now on Netflix! I recently saw all three seasons, and it was wonderful. The young actress that plays Anne is amazing and completely embodies Anne. Catch it if you can, it’s wonderful! And even though I haven’t tried your cordial, I recently made raspberry vodka and it’s delicious! I got the recipe from Pinterest and it’s so easy to make.
Wende Cook says
There is a recipe from the Anne of Green Gables cook book that I bought in Cavendish when visiting the island. Diana Berry’s Raspberry Cordial. It is a bit easier. You take 2 bags of 600g frozen raspberries and cook it over medium heat in large saucepan along with 1 and 1/4 cups sugar for 20 min. Then mash raspberries with potato masher then mash through wire strainer into a medium bowl til you get all the liquid out and only the seeds and pulp are left. Then add juice from 2 freshly squeezed lemons. Set aside and use large saucepan (cleaned) to boil 4 cups water. Then add juice from bowl into saucepan, stir, then let cool a bit, pour into a pitcher and put in fridge. Serve cold with garnish of lemon,
Debi says
It doesn’t say how many cups of berries to use.
HeatherAlexson says
Thank you for this!! I also can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to read the books, nearly there. She has watched the Megan Follows series with me and loves it. In my teens, I stayed with family friends in Italy and we would pick raspberries in the hills behind their house (base of the Italian Alps) and we made it into cordial. This was nearly 30 yrs ago, so I don’t remember the recipe but it was how I imagined Marilla’s cordial.
How much of an Anne dork am I? I didn’t name my daughter Anne, but her middle name is Anne; with an E of course.
We also got a puppy a couple of years ago whose parents are from PEI. This litter was all named after Anne characters, we got Marilla. I made her registered name ” Applewood’s Kindred Spirit”.
thekitchenmagpie says
_u**********@li******.com
" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/105728451/" ns="true">HeatherAlexson Anne is a magical girl, one of the best literary series ever written, in my opinion. Everything about it is perfect!
HeatherAlexson says
Thank you for this!! I also can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to read the books, nearly there. She has watched the Megan Follows series with me and loves it. In my teens, I stayed with family friends in Italy and we would pick raspberries in the hills behind there house (base of the Italian Alps) and we made it into cordial. this was nearly 30 yrs ago, so I don’t remember the recipe but it was how I imagined Marilla’s cordial.
How much of an Anne dork am I? I didn’t name my daughter Anne, but her middle name is Anne; with an E of course.
We also got a puppy a couple of years ago whose parents are from PEI. This litter was all named after Anne characters, we got Marilla. Her registered name is Applewood’s Kindred Spirit.
yhwh777px says
I loved Anne with an E!
DeEtta says
Thank you for this recipe! I am currently watching the Anne of Green Gables movie with my daughter (named Avonlea…) and I found your recipe when she asked me how to make raspberry cordial. We will definitely be making it together in the near future.
Cliona says
Ah you made me laugh! I must have read all the Anne books at least twice a year throughout my teens. They were my soul comfort food! I made raspberry cordial last year for the first time, though your recipe looks nicer. Going to try it tomorrow with my 7 year old daughter. I’ll be devastated if she doesn’t like the Anne books in a few years! Btw I was disappointed with the tv series…mainly because I wanted to be Anne! The fact that I was in Ireland, had dark brown hair and was a few years too old was immaterial.
So, I still haven’t visited PEI, my daughter isn’t called Anne, Cordelia or Rilla (though I would have got away with that if I could!)
Looking forward to finding a few more recipes from you. It seems you could be a kindred spirit.
Cliona
CathleenCleverScott says
This looks yummy. You don’t have to wait till your little girl is old enough. Get the books now and enjoy a raspberry cordial while you read. I have been rereading books that I loved as a young girl. Bobbsey twins and Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib books. Many others too
BeccaCarroll says
I loved Anne as a child. When I was in my young tweens, our pastor’s wife bought the whole boxed set of books for me. I loved them and they were such a treasure!
JustSomeSaltandPepper says
My mother and I used to watch Anne of Green Gables all the time. I still have an Anne of Green journal written when I was around 3-4 years old with my scribbles and my mother’s “translation” underneath. Sadly, my mom passed when I was 5, but I can see why we watched so much of Anne. She is a great role model. I always thought the part where Diana got drunk was hilarious, even as a little kid. Thanks for bringing back some great memories!
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com
" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/18896099/" ns="true">JustSomeSaltandPepper I love hearing all the memories of Anne of Green Gables! It was such a special childhood memory for me as well!
paularkelly says
I just love the brilliant colour of this drink and I know I’d enjoy a glass.
thekitchenmagpie says
_u********@li******.com
" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/3427505/" ns="true">paularkellyIt’s so gorgeous, isn’t it? Just makes you happy looking at it!
Rambling Tart says
This post made me smile so big. 🙂 I’ve been known as “Anne” to friends and relatives for years thanks to my rather romantic and imaginative streaks and use of big words. 🙂 I’ve been rereading the books this year and I love them more than ever. 🙂 Your cordial is gorgeous. 🙂
thekitchenmagpie says
@Rambling TartThere’s nothing like thinking of Anne with an E to make you smile! I can’t wait to share the books with my daughter and re-read them with her.