Jump to content
Mrs Frugal

Elderflower Champagne and Elderflower Cordial

Recommended Posts

Elderflower Champagne IS summer for me. I've been making it for years and it is wonderful.

 

Elderflower Champagne

 

675g caster sugar

4.5 litres water

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

finely pared rind and strained juice 1 lemon

4 large elderflower heads, flowers snipped from stems

 

Pour the caster sugar into a large bowl or pan and add the water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the vinegar, lemon rind, juice and elderflowers. Cover and leave to stand for 48 hours.

Strain through scalded muslin or a jelly bag and pour into clean screw top PLASTIC bottles and leave to stand for 3 weeks by which time it will have become wonderfully fizzy. Chill before serving.

 

PLEASE DON'T USE GLASS BOTTLES AS IT CAN BECOME QUITE EXPLOSIVE!!

 

Elderflower Cordial

 

1kg caster sugar

850ml boiling water

45g citric acid

15 large elderflower heads, flowers snipped from stems

2 lemons, sliced

 

Put the caster sugar into a large bowl and add the boiling water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the citric acid and add the elderflowers and sliced lemons. Cover the bowl and leave to stand for 5 days, stirring daily.

Put a sieve, lined with a piece of double thickness muslin into a large bowl and scald with boiling water and leave to drain. Strain the cordial through the muslin lined sieve into the bowl then pour into clean bottles. Store in the fridge where it will keep for up to a year. Serve diluted with either chilled still or sparkling water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Certainly is but do watch the champagne bottles! I use 500ml plastic water bottles and unscrew the lids every couple of weeks to let some of the fizz out. Alternatively pop the plastic bottles in the freezer 4-6 weeks from making the champange and defrost and drink when you're ready to use them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

**Elderflower Champagne Warning**

 

I've been making Elderflower Champagne for years and have always bottled it in either small 500ml or large 2 litre plastic water bottles as I know how dangerous exploding glass bottles are.

 

I have just had a disaster! I'd forgotten to unscrew the top of the 2 litre bottle regularly which was on the top shelf of the larder while I waited for it to fizz up enough for drinking after making it. We were sat drinking coffee this morning when there was an almighty bang followed by a series of smashing sounds and dripping water. I ran into the kitchen to investigate and found that the plastic bottle had exploded, pushed the side out of the larder which in turn knocked a lovely old teapot off a shelf. This fell into and smashed a china bowl on the worktop while inside the larder, a tall glass pasta jar flew off the top shelf and smashed on the floor below! The larder is swimming in elderflower champagne and the surrounding floor and shelves are now sticky and covered in shards of glass and bits of antique tea pot .

 

Make sure you release the tops of your elderflower champagne every now and then and make certain your bottles are strong enough!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh Kate! what a disaster - you'll be finding sticky bits forever :?

 

I was just going to post about my - very minor - mishap with my cordial....... Slightly different recipe but mostly the same.

 

I decided to use a single layer of muslin as I only have a tiny piece left, bottled all the cordial and it looked lovely.

 

I made some for Lauren and Jake and they started to drink but then said "it has flies in it" - I looked and couldn't see any and made them drink it.

 

Next day, in brilliant sunshine - I noticed that there are tiny thunderflies in it :?:oops: Time for new glasses for me and more muslin so that I can use a double layer for the next batch :oops:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just found the following snippet in the Goodness Direct newsletter...

 

Elderflowers - I noticed this little quote on a 'don't drink and drive' leaflet recently - 'Elderflower cordial is known to balance kidney functions. It also helps to relieve hay fever and clear catarrh, enhance immunity and cleanse the system'. So it is good stuff, and June is the time to make your own cordial

 

Nice to know it is helping with my kidney problems :D

Edited by Guest
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The stickiness has just about gone now thanks, Mum. I've learned a valuable lesson and have been unscrewing the remaining bottles of champagne daily so I'll have the flattest elderflower champagne in the country but at least no more will explode!

 

Wouldn't be without vinegar in my cleaning kit - wonderful stuff, isn't it :D !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was just about to make some cordial when I noticed that you need citric acid. Where do you get that from?

 

A chemist, just got some from in the in-store pharmacy at Morrisons, 83p for 50g

 

Or anywhere that does home brewing supplies. There is a health food shop near us that stocks it (in the homebrew section).

 

Or just use lemon juice :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for those recipes - and the warnings! We were looking at the elderflowers at the bottom of the garden yesterday and I was saying I must do something with them - I say it every year and never do. :oops: Trouble is we don't have many heads due to me hacking it back all the time - I knew you needed lots for the cordial, but the fizzy one sounds ideal. Off to the shops in the morning for some white wine vinegar. May as well drop in at the chemist for citric acid just in case!

No excuses now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.







×
×
  • Create New...