Elderflower Champagne Recipe

[kirsty b]

Elderflower Champagne

4 large elderflower heads
6pints cold water
2 pints boiling water
1 1/2 lbs granulated sugar
2 large lemons, juice and rind of
2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Don't wash the flowers but take off any insects and the thicker stalks.

Place the sugar in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water, stir until sugar dissolved.

Add 6 pints of cold water, the rind and juice of the lemons, vinegar and flowers.

Stir well.

Cover and leave, covered for 48 hours, stirring occasionally.

Strain through a clean sieve into clean bottles leaving about an inch at the top of the bottle and screw the lids down well.

Leave in a cool place to mature, nice served with ice. Ready in about 6 weeks but tastes better the longer it is left to mature.

Warning: contains NO alcohol.

[kirsty b]

Elderflower Cordial

20 Med-large elderflower heads, shake off insects and remove large stalks
3 pints water
3 lbs sugar
1 lemon sliced
2 oz tartaric acid (citric acid will do also)

Boil the water and dissolve the sugar in it.
When cool add the flower heads lemon and tartaric/citric acid
Leave to steep for 24 hrs, stirring occasionally

After 24 hrs strain into clean bottles. Will keep for about 2 weeks.
Nice diluted with ice cold still or sparkling water.

[AdamF]

hmmm, this sounds nice.

I must try making some of this!!!

[tallkenny]

I wish the sun would come out so I can go and pick some elderflowers - looks like it might rain for the next week up here!

Got the other ingredients ready to go......

[tallkenny]

Got some sun yesterday - brewing up a nice big bucketfull - will see how it goes over the next few days

[Lesley Jay]

Do the insects float on the top??

A few years ago I collected loads of elderberries to make jam. I gave the heads of berries a really good shaking but when I opened the carrier bags in the kitchen they were full of earwigs! Yuk!! It has put me right off elderflowers and berries!

You must tell us how you get on and what it tastes like. I might give it a go with next years flowers.

[tallkenny]

[quote=Lesley Jay;7258]Do the insects float on the top??

QUOTE]


They do yes!! Gave them a good shake beforehand to get rid of most of them....

Left it for a few days to brew but was getting no reaction taking place. Threw in some yeast last night - will give it another few days and see if anything happens - smells nice.....

[tallkenny]

Bubbling away nicely - will maybe sieve out most of the elderflowers and lemons this evening, will keep an eye on the gravity readings and bottle into some 2 litre pep fizzy water bottles (17p a bottle in Asda) before the end of the week. Heard a few stories of exploding glass bottles so plastic although less glamorous, should reduce the risk of being maimed / having to redecorate.

[Lesley Jay]

Plastic screw top bottles do sound safer! When you open the bottles be careful as I've heard that the elderflower champagne can explode and hit the ceiling!

[Cabbagelover]

Kenny how is your brew coming along?

[tallkenny]

All bottled up, got about 8 litres

Been releasing the pressure each night - there's a bit of cloudyness at the bottom from the yeast. Thinking about trying a bottle on Friday with the Mrs.
I'm diabetic so waiting on the sugar content going down a bit.

So will put a bottle in the fridge on wed night upside down to start chilling. Will let the sediment settle in the cap and then release under a bowl of water. The pressure should push the sediment out int the bowl. Sediment unlikely to do you any harm but doesn't look too nice.

Have a friends wedding at the end of the month so as long as there are no side effects (quick trips to toilet) from friday's trial I might take it along to the wedding to get drunk while the photo's are taken....

Got a 40 pint lager kit almost ready to bottle also.......just need some sun for a bar b q

[tallkenny]

Had a glass last night - not bad - nice and fizzy but a bit sweet for me.

Alcohol content about 1.5%

think I might loosen the tops on the bottles and see if it helps speed up fermentation a bit?

[Lesley Jay]

That's great! Must admit that I had my doubts about what a drink made with flowers would taste like! If you really chill it will that make it taste less sweet?

Don't you think the tops will blow off if you loosen them?

[tallkenny]

I did chill the bottle for a while and it was quite sweet - more like a fizzy juice than wine

Tops should be okay - just like opening a bottle of cola or lemonade - there is the initial release of pressure which you can control by releasing the cap slowly and tightening if it looks like the liquid is about to go everywhere.

I think the science behind brewing is something like sugar plus yeast = CO2 gas and alcohol in 50/50 amounts so I'm hoping that letting it fizz away fora while without the restraint of the sealed bottle will help it use up some of the sugar a little quicker??

[jane28]

my nan made elderflower champagne... she still has the dent in her ceiling when the last one exploded!

ANd be careful of taking a bottle anywhere in a car... Another one of my nans bottles exploded in the back seat and nearly caused a crash!

[tallkenny]

Some friends had a BBQ on saturday so took along a few bottles to try - everyone thought it tasted good and those that drank quite a bit had no adverse side effects. I forget what the starting gradient was but I think it got to about 4%, so a reasonable summer day drink

Will have another go next year

[tallkenny]

Originally Posted by tallkenny

Some friends had a BBQ on saturday so took along a few bottles to try - everyone thought it tasted good and those that drank quite a bit had no adverse side effects. I forget what the starting gradient was but I think it got to about 4%, so a reasonable summer day drink

Will have another go next year

Update: the Girls have been drinking the last few bottles over the last few weekends - seems to have fermented out a bit better now - and by the state they came rolling into the local pub last week it's probaly closer to a table wine strength and they advise it tasted a lot better.

Note for next year is to leave it a few months before drinking.

Picked a few kilos of elderberrys and blackberrys a couple of weeks ago so having a go at a batch of wine from that. Still bubbling nicely in a brewing container - will put into demijohns one night this week.

[PlantingJoe]

Sounds nice, Kenny. Well done! I can't believe it can explode and make a dent! It must have quite a bit of pressure in it.