Sparkling elderflower cordial
A simple fermented sparkling (bubbly) cordial made with fresh or dried elderflowers.
Servings 100 shot glasses
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh-picked elderflowers
- 8 cups water
- 4 cups organic raw cane sugar
- 3/4 cup organic lemon juice ideally fresh-squeezed OR 2 tablespoons citric acid
Instructions
- Place elderflowers in a large glass or non-reactive container (not plastic).
- Add sugar and water to a pot on the stove. Warm the water just enough to dissolve the sugar in the water while whisking - not so warm that it's uncomfortable to touch.
- Pour the sugar water mixture over the elderflowers, then add in your lemon juice or citric acid. Stir to ensure all ingredients are evenly mixed together. The flowers will soon float back to the surface.
- Cover the container with a BREATHABLE cloth/linen towel and secure the towel with a string or rubber band.
- Stir the mixture every 12 hours. Start taste-testing the syrup at the 48 hour mark. Exactly when it's "ready" is subjective and will also change based on indoor temperatures and the activity of resident microbes in the mix. Our sparkling elderberry syrup is usually perfect for us at the end of day 5-7, but your preferences may be different.
- Once done, pour the mix through a strainer and into another large container to remove all the flowers. Squeeze all the goodies out of the strained flowers by hand, then compost them.
- Pour the final syrup into jars/bottles and refrigerate immediately to make the microbes go dormant and halt the fermentation process. Refrigerated, sparkling elderberry syrup can last for months.