The Best Rhubarb Cordial Lemonade
(Non-Alcoholic)
This quick & easy Rhubarb Cordial Lemonade is so delightfully refreshing and delicious! It’s another great way to cool down this summer and a fantastic use of all that fresh garden rhubarb!
My wonderful Mother-in-Law grew up growing rhubarb on her families dairy farm in the eastern townships of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. She has graciously shared with me all of her wisdom and experience to grow the best most delicious rhubarb! She even shared with me this incredible Rhubarb Cordial Drink that she makes for us on Mayne Island, B.C.
Check out The Ultimate Rhubarb Guide for all of my Mother-in-laws wisdom!
What is RHUBARB?
Believe it or not, Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is a spring vegetable despite its most common uses in fruit deserts (like pies & jams) & sweet drinks! It has large green leaves (not-edible) and a vibrant pink / red stalk (edible) that is above ground.
Grown in zones 3 to 8, rhubarb is a hardy perennial that can be harvested from spring until early summer (depending on your climate – I can harvest mine until early August). In late summer rhubarb can become slightly woody and therefore not as tasty.
How to GROW & Care for Rhubarb
Rhubarb is incredibly easy to grow, especially in cooler climates. It is not demanding & wonderfully hardy. Check out my post The Ultimate Rhubarb Guide to learn more on how to grow Rhubarb.
Our families rhubarb began by transplanting a crown of my husbands Grandmother’s rhubarb and has been alive for over 50 years!
How does Rhubarb taste?
Rhubarb has quite a sour taste which is often why large amounts of sugar are called for in recipes. This recipe for Rhubarb Cordial contains only maple syrup & cane sugar. I like it slightly tart, but please feel free to add more maple syrup or cane sugar if you like it a little sweeter. Or you can simply add more of the Rhubarb Syrup (we will make this) in relation to the volume of sparkling water.
INGREDIENTS
(in Rhubarb Cordial)
This Rhubarb Cordial Lemonade is made with 6 simple and natural ingredients (including water).
INGREDIENTS
(in Rhubarb Cordial)
- Fresh Rhubarb Stalks
If you have lots of rhubarb growing in your garden, you’re most likely always trying to find new and creative ways to use it up! I know I am. Simply pull your rhubarb, chop it up into 1″ chunks and use to make this incredible drink. Or freeze to use later!
If you want to plant rhubarb and don’t know how, please check out my Ultimate Rhubarb Guide to learn everything you need to know to get you started.
- Fresh Lemons
Make sure to use fresh lemons for the best tasting, most refreshing drink.
- Ginger (peeled & chopped)
Make sure to use fresh ginger & feel free to add more or less to your liking.
- Pure Maple Syrup
Did you know that Pure Canadian Maple Syrup is naturally vegan as they do not use any animal by-products at all in production! How do I know this? My husbands Uncle has a Maple Tree Farm in which they collect the maple sap, and produce Maple Syrup in their amazing “Sugar Camp”! I have witnessed 1st hand the hard work and dedication that goes into boiling the maple sap, canning it and producing the most incredible delicious natural sweetener!
When buying maple syrup, make sure to read the food labels carefully. You want real, pure maple syrup — not just maple-flavored syrup, which can be loaded with refined sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.
- Cane Sugar
Rhubarb is quite a tart, sour vegetable. So adding sugar is a must, however, I try to add as little & as healthy choices as I can. Please feel free to add more or less sugar to please your taste buds.
- Water & Sparkling Water
We will make a syrup with the rhubarb and will add this to the sparkling water to make a delightful bubbly drink.
How to make RUBARB CORDIAL
Seriously, you won’t believe how easy this is and you’ll be amazed at the incredibly refreshing flavour!
The best part is everything goes into the pot at once, boil, then simmer & cool. Add sparkling water, ice and enjoy! Super duper easy right? I can promise it will be EASY, but I can’t promise that you won’t be using up all of your garden rhubarb…It’s just that delicious!
To learn how to easily harvest your rhubarb, click here to watch my easy to follow video & read all about it!
How to make RHUBARB CORDIAL – Video Instructions
Click the picture below to watch our instructional video on our YouTube Channel and make rhubarb cordial along with us!
STEP 1: Harvest some fresh rhubarb (10 cups chopped into 1″ chunks).
STEP 2: Prepare fresh ingredients. Chop lemons into thick slices, peel & chop ginger into thick slices (see video).
STEP 3: Add all fresh ingredients, plus maple syrup & cane sugar to a large pot. Cover with enough water to cover the fresh ingredients (about 7 cups)
STEP 4: Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 30′ to 1 hour. Remove from heat and let cool.
STEP 5: Strain mixture through a cheese cloth or with a jelly making cheese cloth (see picture below or video). Compost the left overs & set liquid aside to cool completely.
STEP 6: How sweet do you like it? Add some ice to a glass & fill with 1/4 to 1/2 full with the rhubarb syrup & top up with sparkling water. ENJOY!
STEP 7: Store extra rhubarb syrup in the refrigerator for 2 weeks (it won’t last that long trust me).
Rhubarb Cordial Recipe
Equipment Needed
- 1 Large Stock Pot
- 1 Fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth
INGREDIENTS
- 10 cups Rhubarb Fresh, chopped into 1" chunks
- 3 Lemons sliced thick
- 2 inches Fresh Ginger peeled
- ¾ cup Pure Maple Syrup
- 1 ½ cups Cane Sugar (up to 3 cups max for a sweeter drink)
- 7 cups Water
- Sparkling Water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Harvest fresh rhubarb, wash & chop into 1" chunks (10 cups total).10 cups Rhubarb
- Chop lemons into thick slices, peel & chop ginger into thick slices.
- Add rhubarb, lemons & ginger, plus maple syrup & cane sugar to a large pot. Cover with enough water to cover the fresh ingredients (about 7 cups)
- Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 30' to 1 hour. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Strain mixture through a cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer. Compost the left overs & set liquid aside to cool completely.
- Add some ice to a glass & fill with 1/4 to 1/2 full with the rhubarb syrup & top up with sparkling water. Add more syrup for sweeter taste, less for a slight flavour.
Notes
- Store extra rhubarb syrup in the refrigerator for 2 weeks (it won’t last that long trust me).
Nutrition
ENJOY!
I hope you all LOVE this Rhubarb Cordial Drink as much as my whole family does. If you do, please be sure to rate it and leave a comment below. Please subscribe to keep up to date with my latest recipes. Thank you again to my beautiful and generous Mother-in-law Bev for sharing her special recipe with us! ♡
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PLEASE RATE & COMMENT
I hope you’ll give this rhubarb cordial drink recipe a try, I think you’ll love how simply refreshing it is, especially on a hot summer day! If you love it like we do, please add a rating at the bottom of the post as it helps Google recognize the recipe & my website which will help show it to more people. I’d love to see our community grow! ♡
10 Responses
I had this drink on the back porch when it was 32 degrees C (90 degrees Fahrenheit) in the shade. It was such a tasty, refreshing pick-me-up. A really great simple to make drink on a hot day.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! It’s a great one to cool you down for sure 💕
Delicious and so refreshing.
💗
This is a great drink my whole family loves. It felt like such a treat as we all sat down in the afternoon to cool down. Love how I now have another recipe on hand to use up all of my rhubarb.
Thanks Jenny 🤗💕
So Delois’s and refreshing!
I’m so glad to hear it 💕
This is so good! I’m so happy to have another way to use my rhubarb. Thank you so much.
You’re most welcome Ceclie. I am so glad you love it!♡