Citrus Cordial

part of: Citrus

Citrus cordial is a concentrated, sweetened drink base made with citrus fruit juice — typically lemon, lime, or orange — designed to be diluted with still or sparkling water. It’s a fixture in Australian households, particularly as an affordable, easy way to flavour water for kids and adults alike.

Cordial has been part of Australian drinking culture for generations, with brands like Bickford’s, Cottee’s, and Roses long established in the market. This style contains around 25% fruit juice, making it one of the higher-juice options among cordials. It’s used as a drink on its own, as a mixer in cocktails and mocktails, and occasionally in baking and dessert recipes.

Farmed

photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Citrus fruits are juiced and the juice is concentrated by removing water under heat or vacuum. The concentrate is then blended with water, sugar or sweeteners, citric acid, and preservatives to create a stable, shelf-ready syrup at around 25% juice content. The cordial is pasteurised, bottled, and sold as a concentrate to be diluted before drinking, typically at a ratio of one part cordial to four or more parts water.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 145kcal

Protein 0g

Carbs 37.3g

Fat 0g

Fibre 0g Sugar 37.3g

Mass Distribution

1 can (12 fl oz) is about 423 g — roughly 610 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈1.03kg

Freshwater ≈216.87L

Land ≈0.87m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

Made from

Citrus, fruit

In the kitchen

Used as

concentrated citrus drink base

Goes well with

mint ginger soda water gin lime tonic

Classic dishes

Gin and tonic
Citrus squash
Citrus punch
Lime cordial spritz

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

FSANZ + USDA

How it was calculated

Analysed

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Your household's take

One thumb per person, shared with your household — it steers what the wider-web shelf and the swap chips offer you. Tap again to take it back.

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