Mixers

Raspberry Preserve

Raspberry preserve is raspberries cooked with sugar until set: a jam in all but name, since "preserve" is not one of the names UK jam law reserves. A jar labelled jam must hold at least 350g of fruit per kilo, and extra jam at least 450g. In our Cosmonaut a single barspoon supplies every gram of sugar and fruit, so a high-fruit jar makes the better drink.

Quick Facts

Legal categoryFoodNot a reserved name. "Jam" needs at least 350g of fruit per kilo and "extra jam" 450g, from unconcentrated pulp (Jam and Similar Products (England) Regulations 2003); "preserve" and "conserve" are not defined there.

Flavour Strengthmedium bold

Our keeping timeSealed: to the printed date. Opened: several weeks refrigerated.

Storage

Refrigerate once opened and use a clean spoon each time: sugar preserves the jar, contamination undoes it.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Raspberry Preserve

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

raspberryjammysweet-tartfruit

Tasting Notes

Cooked raspberry, sweet and jammy, with a tart edge; rounder and less bright than fresh fruit or cold-made syrup.

Jam, extra jam and preserve are different labels

Under the Jam and Similar Products (England) Regulations 2003, jam must contain sugar, fruit pulp or purée and water, set to a gel, and at least 350g of fruit has to go into each kilogram of the finished jar. Extra jam must use unconcentrated pulp and at least 450g. Neither "preserve" nor "conserve" is a name the regulations reserve, so read the fruit figure on such a jar rather than trusting the word.

The Cosmonaut leans on one barspoon

Sasha Petraske's Cosmonaut is a gin sour sweetened only with raspberry preserve. Ours stirs one barspoon into 22.5ml of lemon juice in the shaker until it loosens, adds 60ml of gin, shakes it hard, then double strains it into a chilled coupe. With nothing else to sweeten it, a jar with more fruit tastes more of raspberry.

Cooked fruit tastes different from fresh

Cooking drives off the fresh top notes of raspberry and leaves a rounder, jammier taste. That is the difference between the preserve and the house raspberry syrup, which is never heated.

Raspberry preserve against the other ways to sweeten a sour with raspberry

Extra jam

Fruit content: At least 450g per kilo
Cooked: Yes
Texture: Set
Keeps once opened: Weeks, refrigerated

Jam

Fruit content: At least 350g per kilo
Cooked: Yes
Texture: Set
Keeps once opened: Weeks, refrigerated

Preserve or conserve

Fruit content: As the label states
Cooked: Yes
Texture: Set
Keeps once opened: Weeks, refrigerated

Raspberry syrup

Fruit content: 1:1 fruit to sugar by weight
Cooked: No
Texture: Pours
Keeps once opened: One week, refrigerated

	Fruit content	Cooked	Texture	Keeps once opened
Extra jam	At least 450g per kilo	Yes	Set	Weeks, refrigerated
Jam	At least 350g per kilo	Yes	Set	Weeks, refrigerated
Preserve or conserve	As the label states	Yes	Set	Weeks, refrigerated
Raspberry syrup	1:1 fruit to sugar by weight	No	Pours	One week, refrigerated

Seeds, strainers and the jar

Raspberry jam usually keeps its seeds, and the double strain deals with them. Once opened, keep the jar in the fridge and dip in only with a clean, dry spoon, since water and crumbs are what let mould in. A jar used for drinks lasts several weeks that way.

Using it

Using Raspberry Preserve

Usage

Stir one barspoon into the lemon juice in the shaker until it loosens, then add 60ml of gin and shake hard, as in our Cosmonaut. Double strain to catch the seeds. Nothing else sweetens the drink, so keep to the measure and adjust after tasting.

Pro Tip

Level the barspoon rather than heaping it. Preserves vary in sugar and set, a heaped spoon sweetens far more than a level one, and the drink has only 22.5ml of lemon to balance it.

Top Tips

Read the fruit figure on the label: "prepared with 50g of fruit per 100g" beats a jar with 35g.
Work it into the lemon juice first; cold jam stuck to the tin never dissolves in the shake.
Shake hard and double strain. The fine strainer catches the seeds and any undissolved jam.
Use a clean, dry spoon every time you dip into the jar.

Possible Substitutions

Raspberry Syrup: 15ml in place of the barspoon: brighter, with none of the jammy body
Raspberries: Three pressed into the lemon with a little simple syrup, then double strained

Production Method

Raspberries cooked with sugar until the fruit's pectin sets the mixture; some jars are sieved to remove the seeds. No fermentation and no alcohol.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is the difference between jam and extra jam?

Fruit content and the fruit used. Under the Jam and Similar Products (England) Regulations 2003, jam needs at least 350g of fruit per kilogram of jam; extra jam needs 450g and must be made from unconcentrated pulp or purée. For raspberry, extra jam is the jar with more fruit in it.

Is raspberry preserve the same as raspberry jam?

In the kitchen, yes: both are raspberries cooked with sugar until set. In law, "jam" is a reserved name with a fruit minimum, while "preserve" and "conserve" are not, so a jar called a preserve sets its own fruit content. Check the "prepared with" figure on the label to compare.

What is in a Cosmonaut cocktail?

Gin, lemon and raspberry jam. Sasha Petraske's sour takes 60ml of gin, 22.5ml of fresh lemon juice and one barspoon of raspberry preserve. Shake it hard, strain twice into a cold coupe and leave it ungarnished. The jam is the drink's only sugar and its only fruit.

Can I use raspberry syrup instead of jam in a cocktail?

Yes, at about 15ml in place of the barspoon. The drink comes out brighter and thinner, because the syrup is made cold and has no set fruit in it. To get closer to the jammy depth, press one or two fresh raspberries into the lemon before you shake.

Do I need seedless jam for cocktails?

No. Our Cosmonaut is double strained, and the fine strainer catches raspberry seeds on the way into the coupe. If a jar is very seedy, loosen the barspoon in the lemon first so the jam breaks up, and the strainer has less to hold back as you pour.

How long does an opened jar of raspberry jam keep?

Several weeks in the fridge, or as long as the label says once opened. Sugar protects it, but a wet or used spoon brings in water and crumbs, which is where mould starts. Keep the lid on between drinks and throw the jar away at the first sign of mould.

Make something

Made with Raspberry Preserve

Featured In These Cocktails

Cosmonaut

Often Used With

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 11 October 2026

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