What is the Difference Between Squash and Cordial

There is not much difference between squash and cordial. In many cases, both refer to the same thing – a sweet, concentrated, fruit-flavoured drink. The word cordial, however, is more common in the United States. Meantime, it also has several meanings.

Squash and cordial are two names of beverages that might sound confusing to you. In most instance, there is no difference between the two. However, it’s also important to know that the word cordial has more than one meaning. It can refer to a non-alcoholic, syrupy drink (which is the same as cordial) or an alcoholic drink, which is the same as a liqueur. But, squash refers to a non-alcoholic concentrated syrup.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Squash
     – Definition, Ingredients, Serving
2. What is  Cordial
     – Definition, Meanings
3. Similarities Between Squash and Cordial
     – Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Squash and Cordial
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Cordia, Juice, Squash

What is Squash

Squash is a non-alcoholic concentrated syrup. It is usually made from water, fruit juice and sugar/sugar substitutes. Therefore, squashes are usually fruit-flavoured. Some of these fruit flavours include orange, apple, blackcurrant, peach, pineapple, mango, lime, and lemon. Moreover, citrus fruits like lime, lemon, orange or a mixture of fruits and berries commonly serve as the base of squash. Besides, squashes usually contain around 30% fruit juice content on average. However, there are products with a higher fruit content or a lower fruit content as well. Before drinking, squash is usually mixed with a certain amount of water. The taste becomes less strong and diluted as you add more water. Moreover, squash is usually served cold, with ice.

Originally, the word squash was the short form for lemon squash, but this name soon spread to other fruit flavours as well. Although we might use the words juice and squash interchangeably, squash is not pure juice as it contains additional ingredients like water and sugar.

Traditionally, squash involved three main ingredients: fruit juice, water and sugar. Some traditional squashes like elderflower squash and ginger squash also contained herbal extracts. However, squashes in the modern market contain various food colourings and additional flavourings.

What is Cordial

The name cordial has several meanings. Cordial can refer to a non-alcoholic, syrupy drink, for example, lime cordial. This sense of the word is more common in the United Kingdom. In this sense, cordial is the same as squash. In the past, people used the word cordial to refer to a medicinal tonic that was sweet and pleasant to the taste, but this usage is not very common today. Cordial also refers to a sweetened distilled spirit. In this sense, it is an alcoholic beverage like liqueur. Amaretto, Irish cream, and triple sec are some examples of such types of cordials.

Similarities Between Squash and Cordial

• In most instances, squash and cordial both refer to the same thing – a sweet, concentrated, fruit-flavoured drink.
• Moreover, the basic ingredients of this beverage are fruit juice, water and sugar.

Difference Between Squash and Cordial

Definition

Squash is a non-alcoholic concentrated syrup while cordial can refer either to a non-alcoholic, syrupy drink or an alcoholic drink, which is the same as liqueur.

Usage

The word cordial is more common in the United Kingdom while the word squash is used in other countries.

Conclusion

In brief, squash and cordial both usually refer to a sweet, concentrated, fruit-flavoured drink. The word cordial, however, is more common in the United States. It’s also important to know that the word cordial has more than one meaning. It can either refer to a non-alcoholic, syrupy drink (which is the same as cordial) or an alcoholic drink, which is the same as liqueur.

Reference:

1. “Squash (Drink).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Sept. 2020, Available here.
2. Graham, Colleen. “Do You Know Your Liqueurs From Your Liquors?” The Spruce Eats, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “67556” (CC0) via Pixabay

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