​Swing top bottles for summer drinks

Throughout 2020, the weather has been about as unpredictable as the ‘new normal’ we’ve been living with as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. First, we had 10 weeks of unseasonably good weather at the start of the lockdown. Then there was a period of very unsettled weather, with a few scorchingly hot days that led crowds to the beach during the early days of lockdown easing. Over the last week or two, the entire country has been sweating and sweltering in the hottest and most humid weather we’ve seen in decades. Anyone just coming out of 12 weeks of shielding could be forgiven for thinking that they’d been teleported to some mysterious tropical location.

With the most unprecedented summer in history in full swing, we thought we’d take a look today at some great ideas for thirst-quenching summer drinks, to provide the perfect refreshments for days spent in the garden, or out at the beach (socially-distanced, of course.) We’ve got all sorts of ideas to tempt both adults and children, with plenty of vitamin C involved, and some spectacular flavours.

Cordials full of summer sunshine

Grab a batch of glass swing top bottles because we guarantee you’ll be madly keen to make some of the cordials that we’ve found for you today. Full of fresh fruit goodness, packed with vitamins, particularly vitamin C, and pretty as a picture with their bright, fruity colours, these drinks will be on everyone’s request list, every time we have a super sunny day.

Strawberry cordial recipe

There are still plenty of fresh British strawberries available in the shops, the pick-your-own farms are still in full swing, and you may also be lucky enough to have some later-cropping varieties in your garden. That means there’s still plenty of time to make a batch of mouth-wateringly good strawberry cordial. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

500gms strawberries

250gms sugar

juice of a lemon

325ml water

Method

Take the tops off all of the strawberries, and slice them into small pieces, or quarters. Put them in a large pan, along with all of the other ingredients, and heat on a medium setting until the mixture reaches a boil. Stir occasionally, to prevent anything burning and to ensure that all of the sugar dissolves. Once the boil is reached, switch off the heat and cover the pan. Leave the mixture for an hour or so. Blitz the strawberry mixture in a food processor, to get a super smooth consistency. Strain the strawberry mixture to remove all of the seeds, and pour into clean, sterilized swing-top bottles. This cordial will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Serve this cordial in a tall glass, using about 2cm of cordial and topping up with ice-cold water or soda water. Alternatively, for a grown-up evening drink, pour a slug of strawberry cordial into a drinking mug, add a shot of vodka, and top up with hot water.

Of course, you can experiment with lots of other berry fruit to make your own unique cordial. Everyone knows just how sensational elderflower cordial is, for example, but now that elderflowers are long since over, and elderberries are in full swing, it’s time to try elderberry cordial instead. With a richer, stronger flavour, elderberry cordial is just as tasty as elderflower cordial, and you’ll be hooked once you’ve tried it, filling up plenty of glass swing-top bottles with that crimson cordial of loveliness.

Ideas for apple-based drinks

With apple season fast approaching, many people with even just one or two apple trees in their garden will be facing the annual apple glut, with a race to preserve as much of this delicious bounty as possible. Why not grab a few swing top bottles and make some apple drinks this year? Core your apples and place in a pan, with just enough water to cover them, then heat the pan for around 30 minutes, until the apples have gone soft and mushy. Then strain the apples through a muslin cloth. Pour the juice into clean, sterilised glass swing top bottles and seal. The apple pulp can be used to make apple purée, so nothing is wasted. When it comes to serving your homemade apple juice, add a little sugar and cinnamon to suit your tastes. Remember that this is fresh apple juice, without any preservatives, so it will only keep for a few days in the fridge.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, you could also try making your own cider. Our swing-top bottles are ideal for this, once the cider has fermented and done its time in regular demijohns. Again, you can always add sugar at the time of drinking to homemade cider, if it isn’t sweet enough for you.

There are lots of other great ideas to try out for homemade summer drinks, and it really is just a matter of experimenting with whatever fruits you have to hand. If you do have a go yourself, please do share your adventures with us via Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.