Cindercone Chai Plum Cordial is quite a special summer treat! Made with juicy, tart plums and spicy chai, this is a very memorable drink. It is a refreshing beverage that balances sweet, jammy fruitiness with warming, aromatic spices from the chai tea.

This vibrant cordial is ideal for pouring over ice and topping with sparkling water. The infusion of chai tea adds a cozy, seasonal depth to the sweet stone fruit, making it perfect for both warm summer afternoons and crisp autumn evenings. So, if you are ready to use up those plums beyond eating fresh, let’s get started!

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Summer Bounty Overload

My Dad’s garden is out of control! He has a single plum tree that produces pounds and pounds of beautiful, ruby red/purple plums. I wish I knew the exact variety, but they are the ultimate juicing plum. Their soft flesh turns to juice almost immediately. Sometimes you have to eat them over the sink because the sweet juice goes everywhere!

Unfortunately, this plum tree is so prolific that we can’t eat the plums fast enough. Cooking them can be challenging because they disintegrate. Cutting these plums is next to impossible, and it’s a very messy, time consuming business. Cue in my brilliant sister-in-law! This year, she turned her flat of plums into plum cordial. It was so easy, delicious, and addictive that her small tribe of little ones drank the whole pot in one afternoon! I decided to give it a go, and this is what I came up with.

There are a few plum cordial recipes online, but I discovered that while you technically can have an exact recipe, it will vary greatly on the type of plum variety and your sweetness preference. As a general rule, most recipes followed a 1/3-1/2 cup of sugar per 1 cup of juice. My recommendation is to taste it a few times. Start with the least amount of sugar then add a little at a time until you reach your desired sweetness level. This recipe was meant for a large batch of plums. You can easily reduce the recipe as long as you follow the rule of adding the approximate amount of sugar to each cup of juice.

Cordial Vs Syrup

Honestly, I never knew what the difference between cordial and syrup was until now. According to the experts, syrup is sugar and water infused with extracts or flavoring. Cordial is fruit based and traditionally acidic. Since plums have the acid naturally, they turn into the perfect cordial base! All you need to do is combine one part cordial to two parts water or sparkling water.

Suttle Tea Shines Again

I love Suttle Tea. More than just a tea, their blends really enhance my bakes in unique, special ways. Cindercone Chai packs quite the punch. Blended with sichuan peppercorns, rainbow peppercorns, cardamom pods, cayenne, and chili flakes, it’s one spicy tea! The intensity of this tea means it can stand up to the intense, tartness of seasonal plums.

I started off by steeping 2 1/2 tablespoons of cindercone chai tea with 2 cups of hot water for 10 minutes. Once I got the plums and sugar started on the stove, I poured the steeped chai tea (including the loose leaf tea) straight into the pot. In hindsight, next time I would put the tea leaves into a muslin tea bag. That way it can still steep in the plum sauce without being so difficult to strain out later.

What If I Don’t Have Cindecone Chai Tea?

Cindercone chai tea is a very specific ingredient. While I highly recommend buying some off their website and trying it out, you can also make this recipe with normal chai tea. Maybe use 4-5 teabags? I haven’t tried it with normal chai tea, but bagged tea tends to not have the same intensity as loose leaf tea.

If you don’t have chai tea at all, throw in a couple cinnamon sticks, a star anise, and some cardamom pods (if you like cardamom and have it). If the only warming spice you add is cinnamon sticks, it will taste amazing! To get a little of that heat you would find in the cindercone chai, throw in a teaspoon of peppercorns. That will give it a light, spicy kick that will be close to the flavor profile I got with mine!

Easy As Pie? Oh It’s WAAAAY Easier!

The beauty of making cordial is you don’t even have to cut the plums! I threw all my plums into the biggest pot I had, added sugar, tea, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Occasionally stir the plum cordial to help break down the plum flesh. Taste your cindercone chai plum cordial occasionally and add more sugar until you are satisfied with the flavor. If you don’t add lots of sugar, your plum cordial will be reminiscent of plum lemonade. Not a bad creation if you ask me!

I added vanilla to round out the flavors, and then it was time to strain! I set a large sieve over a large mixing bowl, arranged cheese cloth over the sieve, and carefully poured the plum concoction through the sieve. Once the initial cordial is strained through, I squeezed as much juice out using the cheesecloth. This was the most time consuming part, but so worth it! What was left was a deep ruby red liquid, perfectly spiced, sweet, but still tart. I am in love! I saved some for me to enjoy now, but the rest was frozen in 2 cup containers for me to enjoy whenever I want it.

Some Like Cindercone Chai Plum Cordial Hot! Some Like It Cold

Cindercone chai plum cordial tastes absolutely divine hot or cold! Hot plum cordial reminds me of cozy fall evenings with a book and a roaring fire. The chai and other warming spices bring out the best in the plums.

Cold cindercone chai plum cordial is ultra refreshing. Pair it with sparkling water, for the most delightful fizzy drink with adorable pink foam! To make it extra special, I turned my plum cordial into a ice cream float! Vanilla ice cream pairs perfectly with the tart plums and spicy chai. It mellows the flavor, and creates a smooth, chilly, thirst quenching drink!

So, the next time you get overly excited at the market and buy too many plums, or if you have a plum tree and can’t keep up with its bounty, give this recipe a go! But remember, it’s not an exact recipe. It’s more of a method. The sweetness profile is totally up to your taste buds!