Elderflower Cordial

[Elen Sentier]

This afternoon and evening have been partially devoted to making this year's batch of elderflower cordial.

We have several elder trees in the hedge around the property but the one I decided to use this year had also grown 3 big straight thick limbs that I'd marked down for camp-chair-poles. I've been waiting for the flowers that were growing on them to come out and for a dry day ... today was it . The branches yielded a mass fo flowers, see the trug in the pic, and I've been taking them most of the evening. Just got the first bowl steeping and decided to have another wee break before finishing the flowers for the 2nd bowl. Gotta go do the sugar water and chop more lemons too ... hopefully all done by midnight !!!

 

[bilmo-p5]

If you take it a step further and use them to make a sweet white dessert-type wine, it will be ready by Christmas and like bottled sunbeams in the depths of Winter.

 

[Goatboy]

If you take it a step further and use them to make a sweet white dessert-type wine, it will be ready by Christmas and like bottled sunbeams in the depths of Winter.

Yup can also be added to Sambuca and added to a Gibson for a wonderful pre-lunch cocktail at Christmas. (Or just add it to the gin) and Gibsons are for life not just Christmas. My fave cocktail.

 

[Elen Sentier]

If you take it a step further and use them to make a sweet white dessert-type wine, it will be ready by Christmas and like bottled sunbeams in the depths of Winter.

Advice please ... I've never made wine

 

[Elen Sentier]

Yup can also be added to Sambuca and added to a Gibson for a wonderful pre-lunch cocktail at Christmas. (Or just add it to the gin) and Gibsons are for life not just Christmas. My fave cocktail.

We have some Sambuca. Will try a Gibson but I'm not a great one for straight gin, spose the vermouth will kill the smell ???

 

[tommy the cat]

Darn estate farmer cuts my hedges and the elders only just picking up... I'm hoping I might get flowers yet!!!
Elderflower cordial is lovely on a summers day.

 

[Goatboy]

We have some Sambuca. Will try a Gibson but I'm not a great one for straight gin, spose the vermouth will kill the smell ???

If not to keen on gin try making the quantities more equal, the elderflower Sambuca sweetens it up a bit and the summery smell will mask the juniper of the gin. Just don't use Tanqueray gin - too strong for a Gibson. Or instead of gin you could go all Ian Fleming and use vodka.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Advice please ... I've never made wine

The recipe I used is buried in the attic somewhere, but this one looks very similar.

 

[John Fenna]

I make this every year but always find that it develops a plug of mould (not that this has any effect on the flavour) if I keep it more than a few weeks. Also I have had bottles spontaneously ferment ...
This year I will try adding a Camden tablet before bottling - or does anyone else have a suggestion?

 

[MartiniDave]

Elder "champagne" is rather nice and dead easy to make too. I got my recipe off google, 14 days start to finish.

Ellen, I'd be careful using elder for construction, it goes very brittle rather quickly in my experience.

Dave

 

[falling rain]

Going to give this a go this year - made some ramsons pesto a few weeks ago yum, was lovely spread over a couple of pork chops and grilled, and dandelion infused oil for salads. I mean every year to make elder flower cordial so am going to get my backside out to pick some when the sun eventually shines (I believe the flowers are better when they have had sun on them). Most plants are best harvested on dry sunny days.

 

[Fatbob]

Elderflower is a great ingredient, so far I've made 12 bottles of champagne, 4 bottles of syrup and have dried enough to fill up a 2 litre kilner jar( took 3 carrier bags full) to use for the rest of the year.
Looking forward for the berries now to try some more old recipes

 

[Elen Sentier]

Me too, Bob. Lots of flowers still but the berries are coming along. The bees are loving it. I made 9 bottles of cordial.

behind every creative woman there's usually a very talented cat ...

 

[Bartooon]

I recently made some Elderflower "Turkish" Delight using the recipe in the River Cottage Handbook No.7 - Hedgerow by John Wright. Pretty easy to make and very tasty.