A cold fruit drink, made from simmered sweetened seasonal fruits enjoyed across Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

I try my best to steer my children away from sugary drinks packed with dyes and unnatural ingredients. They of course enjoy soda and punch when we’re out or at parties, but at home and most of the year I try to find alternatives to store bought drinks.

My grandmother would simmer away an enamel pot of fresh kompot a few times a week and that smell is nostalgic and homey for me. I hope it is the same for my children. It is a fairly hands off process and the fruit used can be fresh or frozen. Jam is a common option in flavoring kompot as well. It is perfect for fruit that is about to go or for those extra berries you have no space for!

What is Kompot?

It’s a simmered nonalcoholic fruit drink. The fruit is simmered in water and is discarded, unlike fruit compote where the fruit is reserved for eating. I guess you could eat the fruit from a kompot but it’s usually best strained out and the liquid enjoyed.

What are the best fruits for Kompot?

Plums

Apples

Cranberry

Apricots

Peaches

Quince

Blackberry

Raspberry

Currants

Sour Cherries

Lingonberry

Do you need special equipment to make kompot?

No. A large enough pot that can hold at least 6 cups of water and fit in about 1.5- 2lbs of fruit.

Two pounds of fruit looks:

For reference 1 lb of peaches are two peaches that can be held in an open palm

1lb of cherries is roughly 3 cups

3 large plums and 1.5 cup of cherries will equal about 2lbs of fruit.

The best part, is that it doesn’t have to be precise or with any specific fruit. Let your own flavor preferences and market availability lead the way.

The recipe below is more of guide than a set list of rules and measurements.

***However a good squeeze of lemon after the kompot cools and is strained is absolutely necessary. My grandmother would use a sprinkling of citric acid powder, which is technically the same as lemon juice but in my mind, taste just slightly different from each other. Neither is wrong. Try both and make your decision.

Recipe:

Makes 1 concentrated batch of kompot.

Servings: 8-10 serving

2 grams of sugar per serving ( compared to 22grams in apple juice or 96grams in a single can of soda)

To serve pour 1/3 cup kompot over ice or cold from the fridge and top with sparkling water or plain water

3 medium ripe plums

1/5 cups frozen sour cherries

6 cups of water

1/3 cup sugar (well rounded cup)

Juice of 1 small lemon or 1 tsp citric acid

Method:

Add cleaned and pitted fruit to cold water with sugar in a clean pot that will accommodate a strong boil.

As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook without a lid for 10minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow liquid to cool in the pot.

Squeeze in fresh lemon juice or dissolve citric acid before transferring into a food safe bottle.

Will keep fresh refrigerated for 5 days