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The heady aroma of elderflower along the hedgerows means one thing: it’s time for fermenting.
A lot of Elderflower Champagne recipes use wine yeast to produce a full bottle fermentation and 8-10% alcohol.
This old fashioned country recipe relies on the natural yeasts of the flower heads and should produce a gentle fizz with around 3% alcohol – perfect for a lazy summer picnic.
This old fashioned country recipe relies on the natural yeasts of the flower heads and should produce a gentle fizz with around 3% alcohol – perfect for a lazy summer picnic.
Ingredients
20 Elderflower heads (Pink ones are wonderful if you can find them)
8 Pints of Water
1 kg of Sugar
3 Lemons – Juice, plus peel cut into strips
Method
Find and pick Elderflower blossoms – make sure they are clean and dry.
Boil half the water with the sugar until it is completely dissolved.
Transfer to a clean, sterile bucket.
Add the remainder of the water, plus the juice and peel of the lemons.
Allow to cool to room temperature, then stir in the Elderflower heads.
Place a cloth over the top and leave in a warm shaded place
Stir twice a day for 2 days - the ferment should start to bubble on the top.
Sieve the liquid and decant into air tight glass stopper bottles.
Leave in a cool place for 2 weeks.
You can check the ferment from time to time by releasing the glass stopper.
NB: Too much pressure could explode the bottle
Serve with Berroffee Pie on a glorious Summer's Day!
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