Make Elderflower Champagne

There's something quintessentially English about the heady scent of Elderflowers in the summer and the refreshing homemade drinks you can create. Flowering in early summer, they are common particularly in the south of England. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll notice them everywhere. I picked mine from a local park while my kids played on the swings.



I had two options for the flowers I collected. Non alcoholic cordial or an alcoholic sparkling 'champagne'. I decided to give the sparkling a go with great success.

Time: 45 minutes preparation and several weeks fermenting.



Materials
15-16 Elderflower heads
700g sugar
4 litres hot water
2 litres cold water
Zest and juice from 4 lemons
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Large pot, bucket or suitable container
Sieve
Muslin
Funnel
Bottles (plastic screw cap, glass with champagne corks or Grolsch style bottles with a flip lid)

Method





















I experimented with different bottles and found that the best bottles to use were empty plastic bottles that you would buy fizzy drinks in. You may need to release the pressure a couple of times while it's fermenting.

The Elderflower champagne will be alcoholic with the strength varying depending on the batch of flowers you've used.

I served my wonderfully fragrant and lightly sparkling champagne at a summer party and everyone came back for more. It would be lovely to make for a wedding too.

Categories
#elderflower
#diy
#make_it_yourself
#wedding
#drinks
#food

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