blackcurrant 'beena

Summer has arrived and with it record breaking temperatures.
The weather has lurched from an unseasonable 'shall-we-put-the-heating-on' cold to 'fling-the-doors- and-windows-open' hot.
The sun and heat has meant the fruit on the allotment has started to ripen at an alarming rate; strawberries and blackcurrants by the bowlful which very soon will be followed by the gooseberries.

I decided to make the blackcurrants into a cordial which with the addition of water and ice could be turned into a refreshing drink.
In the River Cottage Handbook on Preserves Pam Corbin has recipes for fruit ' beenas (named, as you might have realised, after a famous blackcurrant drink).

I used 1kg of fruit simmered in 600ml of water until soft. This was then tipped into a jelly bag and left to drip overnight.

To each litre of juice, I added 700g of granulated sugar and heated gently.

(This seems like an inordinate amount but the syrup is to be used well diluted.)

When the sugar had dissolved, I continued heating until the temperature registered  88-90c on a sugar thermometer in order to sterilise the liquid.

I then poured it into bottles which had also been sterilised by immersing them in a large pan of water and bringing to the boil.

The cordial has a beautiful rich colour and with the addition of sparkling water makes a super refreshing drink for this hot weather.

Or drizzled over ice-cream with strawberries, mango and banana, a gorgeous  summery dessert.