Elderflower cordial

UPDATE JULY 2021:
This year I decided to make an experiment and tried the following combinations:
  • elderflower without lemon or citric acid.
  • elderflower with lemon but without citric acid.
  • elderflower with lemon zest and juice.
  • elderflower with lemon zest and slices.
I wanted to know if there was a taste difference between them. My conclusions are as follows:
  • Elderflower tastes marvellous on it's own and needs no lemon added. When you add lemon you can feel the lemon zing but the elderflower flavour is still strong. However, without lemon or citric acid, it is not going to last any longer than a few weeks. Another difference is the fact that without lemon the cordial is much more clear. With lemon added it has a cloudy look. Make elderflower cordial without lemon or citric acid only if you know you are going to use it quick.
  • Citric acid gives the cordial a slightly stronger lemony taste but the elderflower taste can still come through. With citric acid the cordial is going to last longer so I think it's an acceptable compromise. After leaving a small amount of cordial in open glasses for a few days I also found out that cordial with citric acid is less likely to crystallise.
  • Lemon complements elderflower beautifully. It makes no difference whether it is used as zest + juice or zest + slices as you get the same flavour. 
🔄🔄🔄

Foraging diaries # 7: Elderflower.


Elderflower is the flower of the Elder tree (Sambucus nigra). It's not a particularly attractive tree but it's flowers are beautiful and heavenly scented. Elderflowers can be used to produce a drink I am absolutely crazy about: elderflower cordial. Dilute it with water or fizzy lemonade or add it to wine or a cocktail.
Collect the flowers on a dry day, when they are open but not starting to dry yet. Use them straight after picking.

 Serves: 1 litre.

 Ingredients:
  • 10 elderflower heads
  • 600ml water
  • 900g sugar
  • 1 lemon: zest and juice
  • 50g citric acid

Method:
  1. Shake out any bugs from the flowerheads.
  2. Bring the water to a boil in a stainless-steel pan. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 min.
  3. Add the elderflowers and stir.
  4. Add the lemon zest and juice. Alternatively you can slice the lemon thinly after zesting it and add to the syrup.

  5. Add the citric acid, cover and leave overnight. I only found a box of 50g of citric acid so I put it all in as 5g are difficult to weight (I don't have an electronic scale!).
  6. Next day, pour the syrup through a sieve, remove the lemon slices and squeeze the goodness out of the flowerheads. Squeeze again through a nylon sieve. I did not double-sieved it and some seeds can be seen on the top of the mixture. Nothing that worries me!
  7. Pour into screw-top glass bottles and store in the fridge or a cool place. It should keep for up to 1 year.
  8. If you used lemon slices, save them to add to homemade lemonade or G&T. Freeze in a single layer and then pack in a plastic bag or box.

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