Top 8: Fruity diluted thirst-quenchers, cordially reviewed
Teeth! Of Be Drinks Developing Are But Surefire Fruity Pleaser Crowd Careful A
The heatwave earlier in the month highlighted the need to stay hydrated. If we don’t, we become tired and listless and sometimes a little cranky. Water and milk are the best forms of hydration, with the added benefit of calcium in the latter.
Dietician Sarah Keogh reminds us that 35% of children in Ireland don’t consume enough calcium, so the more attractive we can make milk, the better.
She suggests adding ice cubes to milk as a thirst quencher. Try making sugar-free smoothies with milk, banana and other fruit, or add water and ice to pure fruit juices.
Adding a little sparkling water to still water provides fizzy interest, but watch the amount as too much carbonation creates its own problems. Added sugar creates thirst too, and whatever the choice, we should always swish water around our mouths and swallow afterwards. Liquid sugar reaches all corners of teeth where it can be trapped and cause dental caries.
We may believe that drinking anything is better than nothing but added sugar and substitutes in drinks such as the cordials listed below are best kept as treats or regulated and generously diluted in hot weather. Research is ongoing about intense sweeteners such as sucralose on gut bacteria, so watch this space for news.
In today’s taste test, we kept mainly to recyclable glass bottles.
This old-fashioned dilutable has a high 25.5% blackcurrants with water, sugar and distilled malt vinegar. The vinegar isn’t discernible except for the little lift it gives to the sweetness of the sugar. A delicious drink with a silky texture at a good price for the high quality. Made at Glenilen Farm known for its excellent yogurt. Available in delis and speciality food shops. We got the best price at O’Driscoll’s of Ballinlough, Cork.
9.5
This reminded one adult of her grandmother’s version. We all got the distinctive taste of rhubarb and there is just sugar, water and lemon juice added. Tasters liked it.
In a glass bottle, pricey as for best flavour we added two parts water to one of cordial. Some others in the survey were good with four parts water to one. From The Roughty Foodie, English Market Cork.
9.25
With 7% each of apple and blackberry concentrate juices, the flavour is quite strong with the blackberry coming through nicely. The 4% sloe juice from concentrate gives it a slight edge liked by tasters. Fructose is the sweetener used. In an attractive glass bottle, good for water on the table later. Made in Britain. On offer for €3 in Dunnes when we bought.
9
From a comprehensive range, we favoured this one in a glass bottle. Made in Ireland from 25% raspberry juice concentrate, sugar, 6% rhubarb juice, 4% raspberry juice, hibiscus extract, it’s nicely balanced with sweet and sour with additional concentrated carrot and blackcurrant juices, tasters of all ages enjoyed the strong, interesting flavours.
9
Produced in UK since 1938, this was familiar to older tasters and was a little sweet for some of them. In a recycled plastic bottle, it is made from a low enough 32% juice from concentrate, sugar, with thickener polydextrose. There is sugar, with the acidity regulator sodium gluconate, with added vitamin C, extracts of carrot and hibiscus and blackcurrant flavourings. Potassium sorbate and sodium bisulphite are the preservatives and the sweeteners are acesulphame K and sucralose.
8
We like this short list of ingredients and high 67% of organic blackcurrant juice from concentrate, along with 33% organic sugar and ascorbic acid as the antioxidant. Tasters liked it, especially at the price. In a glass bottle, it has a long distance to travel from Sweden where it is produced.
8
In a glass bottle, this blend of tastes worked well and liked better than the lemon, gooseberry and elderflower version (€3.99). A comfortingly short list of ingredients of water, sugar, 18% raspberries, 9% Irish rhubarb and citric acid makes a refreshing drink. A little pricey by comparison, but good to see this is made by Naturally Cordial in Co Wexford.
8.25
In a glass bottle, tasters found it a little bland, though true to the list of ingredients - sugar with 14% pear juice from concentrate with elderflower and pear flavourings. Better with sparkling water. Steviol glycosides is the sweetener here. Preservatives are potassium sorbate and sodium metabisulphite. There is a large range of cordials from this producer.
7.75