A sweet, fresh and fragrant flower syrup to dilute in water, add to gin and cocktails or flavour bakes and desserts. You can make elderflower cordial with or without citric acid. This recipe explains how. Either way, it's a must have cooling summer drink.
Slice the lemon and place at the bottom of a large heatproof bowl. Don't worry about any pips that go in.
1 organic lemon
Gently shake the elderflowers to allow any insects to escape. Remove the flowers from the stalks and add to the lemons. A fork works well for this. Alternatively, place the heads face down in the bowl so that the stems are poking upwards.
12-15 heads elderflower
Dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat, stirring occasionally until it's dissolved. Bring to a rapid boil, then remove from the heat.
600 ml water, 750 g golden sugar
Stir in the citric acid, if using, or vinegar and stir. Pour the hot syrup over the elderflowers and lemon.
2 ½ tsp citric acid, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Cover the bowl with a plate or clean tea towel and leave the elderflowers to soak for twenty four to thirty six hours.
Line a large sieve with a clean muslin cloth and sit it over a large clean jug. Ladle the liquid into the sieve to filter out the flowers, lemon and any other unwanted bits.
As soon as the jug is full decant the liquid into sterilised bottles. Unless you have a steady hand, you might want to use a funnel to pour the liquid into the bottles. Continue to strain until it's all bottled.
Store in the fridge for up to three months, if using citric acid or six weeks if using vinegar.
Notes
Please read post for full hints, tips and further information.Produces approximately one litre. If you want to make more than this just double the ingredients.Dilute to roughly 1 part cordial to 10 parts water, but tastes vary and you may prefer it stronger or weaker than this.Can freeze in plastic bottles for up to a year. Alternatively, freeze as ice cubes.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They're approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.