Lemon Cordial Concentrate
Brighten up your summer sips with a splash of Lemon Cordial Concentrate -a simple mixture of lemons, water, and sugar condensed into a sweet and citrus-flavored reduction. It’s perfect for adding a blast of lemon flavor to sparkling water, lemonade, cocktails, and so much!

When life hands you lemons, make lemon cordial concentrate! It only takes a few minutes and 3-ingredients to condense old-fashioned lemon cordial flavor into a DIY concentrate.
That said, lemon cordial concentrate isn’t meant to be sipped on straight. You can either dilute it in a pitcher of water or splash a bit into any beverage to add sweet, tart, and tangy flavor!
If you’re wondering why you should make homemade lemon cordial concentrate, here are three reasons:
- It only has simple ingredients. Store-bought cordial concentrates contain artificial flavor, color, and preservatives. DIY cordial concentrates are made with real ingredients.
- It’s inexpensive. Not to mention, making it from scratch is less expensive, and it tastes better than the store-bought stuff.
- It’s great to make ahead and enjoy later. It stores well and is a handy mixer to have on hand for all of your non-alcohol drinks and cocktail needs.
Ready to learn how to make lemon cordial concentrate? Let’s do it!
๐Ingredients
A few notes about what lemon cordial concentrate is made of:
- Sugar: Granulated sugar or caster sugar, and yes, you need to use the total amount.
- Water: Use filtered or distilled water, if possible.
- Lemons: You’ll need about 8 lemons, or enough to squeeze 1 cup of lemon juice and collect 1/4 cup of lemon zest.
- Recommended tools: You’ll need a microplane grater to zest the lemons and a citrus juicer. You can use a fork to press into the lemons and squeeze out the juices in a pinch. You’ll also need a sieve to strain the liquid.

๐ How to make (step-by-step photos)
1๏ธโฃ Step One: Zest lemons
Start by zesting your lemons. Use a microplane to zest about a 1/4 cup of lemon zest. Set the zest aside.

2๏ธโฃ Step Two: Juice lemons
Next, juice the zested lemons until you have about a cup of lemon juice. The simplest way to do this is by rolling the lemons on a flat surface to get the juices flowing before cutting them in half and pressing the lemons in a citrus juicer.

3๏ธโฃ Step Three: Cook cordial concentrate
Add water, sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and lemon zest to a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the liquid thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool.

4๏ธโฃ Step Four: Strain, store and serve
Once the concentrate cools, pour it through a sieve to catch any lemon bits. Then pour the syrup into an airtight container (see below for safe storage tips) -and that’s it! You have homemade lemon cordial concentrate to add vibrant citrus flavor to drinks and cocktails.

โ Questions + quick tips
- A trick to get the lemon juices flowing is microwaving whole lemons for about 10 to15 seconds before juicing.
- Always zest before juicing!
- To dilute the cordial concentrate, start with 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water or soda. Give it a taste and add more if needed.
Feel free to add fresh ginger, lavender buds, fresh mint or basil leaves, vanilla bean, etc. Simmer any add-ins with the water, sugar, and lemon juice/zest. Strain out of the concentrate before storing.
Sure! Feel free to swap the lemons for limes, oranges, or grapefruits.
๐ฅ Lemon cordial concentrate cocktails
This lemon cordial concentrate upgrades basic mixed drinks into craft creations. Check out the list below for creative ways to use cordial concentrate in cocktails.
- Classic Lemon Cordial Cocktail – Fill a glass with ice. Add 1 1/2 ounces of vodka and 1 1/2 ounces of lemon cordial concentrate. Fill the rest of the glass with sparkling water.
- Vodka Collins – Fill a glass with ice. Add 1 1/2 ounces of vodka and 1 1/2 ounces of lemon cordial concentrate. Fill the rest of the glass with club soda.
- Tennesee Honey Cordial – Fill a glass with ice. Add 1 1/2 ounces of Jack Daniels Tennesse Honey and 1 ounce of lemon cordial concentrate. Top the glass off with lemon-lime soda.
๐ง How to store
How long does homemade cordial keep? To make the most of your homemade cordial concentrate, store it in the freezer. After cooling, you have a few options:
- Freeze in sanitized ice cube trays and then dilute a cube or two in your beverages as you please
- Freeze in a resealable bag and then dissolve it in a pitcher of water to make instant lemonade!
- Refrigerator storage: It can also be kept in a sanitized jar or glass container in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks.

๐ฏ More flavored concentrates and syrups
Looking for more flavorful syrups? We’ve got you covered.
- Lemon Ginger Simple Syrup
- Orange Simple Syrup
- Pineapple GInger Syrup
- Blueberry Simple Syrup
- Lime and Cilantro-Infused Simple Syrup
Need ideas for using this lemon cordial? Try it in our Mint Cucumber Lemonade or Green Matcha Lemonade.

Lemon Cordial Concentrate
Equipment
- 1 microplane grater
- 1 citrus juicer
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 8 whole lemons to make 1 cup of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of lemon zest
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water filtered or distilled
Instructions
- First, zest lemons using a microplane until you have about 1/4 cup lemon zest. Set aside.
- Next, juice the zested lemons until you have about 1 cup lemon juice. The easiest way to do this is to roll the lemons on a table to release their juices before cutting, then cut in half and squeeze or use a citrus juicer to release the lemon juice. You can also microwave the lemons for about 10-15 seconds before juicing.
- Add water, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until sugar has dissolved and the water begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Once the lemon concentrate is cool, strain it through a sieve into a sanitized container.
- Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks (or freeze for up to two months).
- To serve, use a small amount of the concentrated lemon cordial in drinks like sparkling water, lemonades, or in cocktails.