Elderflower Cordial Recipes

Steps:

• Put the sugar and 1.5 litres/2¾ pints water into the largest saucepan you have. Gently heat, without boiling, until the sugar has dissolved. Give it a stir every now and again. Pare the zest from the lemons using a potato peeler, then slice the lemons into rounds.
• Once the sugar has dissolved, bring the pan of syrup to the boil, then turn off the heat. Fill a washing up bowl with cold water. Give the flowers a gentle swish around to loosen any dirt or bugs. Lift flowers out, gently shake and transfer to the syrup along with the lemons, zest and citric acid, then stir well. Cover the pan and leave to infuse for 24 hrs.
• Line a colander with a clean tea towel, then sit it over a large bowl or pan. Ladle in the syrup - let it drip slowly through. Discard the bits left in the towel. Use a funnel and a ladle to fill sterilised bottles (run glass bottles through the dishwasher, or wash well with soapy water. Rinse, then leave to dry in a low oven). The cordial is ready to drink straight away and will keep in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. Or freeze it in plastic containers or ice cube trays and defrost as needed.

Steps:

• Bring sugar and 2 cups water to a boil, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine lemon juice, zest, and elderflowers. Pour syrup over flower mixture; stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate 1 day. Strain cordial through a fine-mesh sieve; discard flowers. Cordial can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Inspect the elderflower heads carefully and remove any insects. Place the flower heads in a large bowl together with the orange and lemon zest. Bring 6 1/2 cups of water to a boil and pour over the elderflowers and citrus zest. Cover and leave overnight to infuse.
• Strain the liquid through a jelly strainer bag or piece of cheesecloth (see p. 33) and pour into a saucepan. Add the sugar, the lemon and orange juice, and the citric acid, if using. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Use a funnel to pour the hot syrup into sterilized bottles (see p. 125). Seal the bottles with swing-top lids, sterilized screw-tops, or corks.

Steps:

• Combine the elderflower heads, sugar, lemon juice, and citric acid in a large acid-proof container. Pour the boiling water over the ingredients and let steep for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Strain the liquid by pouring it through muslin into a large bowl. Ladle into bottles and refrigerate, or pour into freezer containers and freeze.