Elderflower champagne

If you live in a place where Elder bushes are flowering, now’s the time for the easy to make and most intriguingly flavoured of sparkling summer drinks.

Here is the recipe for elderflower champagne.

Ingredients

• 4 litres hot water

• 600g sugar

• 2 lemons

• About 12 elderflower heads, in full bloom

Instructions

• Put the hot water and sugar into a large container (I use a stainless steel bucket) and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the finely sliced lemons and the flower heads and stir gently.

• Cover with a clean cloth and leave to ferment in a cool, airy place for a couple of days.

• Syphon or strain the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin (or a clean tea towel) and funnel into sterilised bottles. Use plastic screw-top bottles, but don’t use normal bottle caps as the build-up of gas could cause them to pop off! Leave a gap of about 5cm/2in at the top of the bottle.

• Leave to ferment in the bottles for about two weeks, then chill for at least a day before drinking.

Elderflowers, lemons sugar… fresh water.

---

Pages: 1 2