Making cordial is the perfect way to use up all of those slightly mashed strawberries that tend to be leftover when you have bought a few more than you can eat in a couple of days. In fact, that’s how this recipe came to be.

I add cardamom to basically everything, but the spice pairs particularly well with strawberries. You can mix this cordial with straight water, sparkling water, or even combine with other libations for a summer cocktail.

This makes about a cup and a half of cordial, so scale up if you would like to make a larger batch.

Ingredients:

About 17 ounces/500 grams of strawberries, rinsed and cut in half

1 cup (240 milliliters) water

3 teaspoons cardamom seeds, crushed

1/2 cup (3.5 ounces, 100) grams of sugar

Juice and zest of half a small lemon

Preparation:

Place the strawberries, water and crushed cardamom seeds in a saucepan. Place on the stove and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every once in awhile with a fork or spoon and using it to crush the strawberries.

Once the strawberries have fully broken down, remove from the heat and let sit for about half an hour.

Strain the strawberry pulp out, using a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer.

Measure the liquid. You want to add in about half that amount of sugar. Measuring by weight is more precise, but you can measure by volume too (i.e. with a cup).

Pour the liquid into a clean saucepan and place on medium heat. Slowly add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a clean bottle or jar.