Elderflower Cordial/Sparkling Lemonade
One of my favourite drinks in the summer is elderflower lemonade. It tastes fantastic, it is extremely refreshing on a hot day and it has bubbles. Since I made it for the first time, it become an essential drink for every bbq in my house. It takes just a few minutes to make and it can be stored for couple of months while still tasting fantastic. The bubbles in this drink are introduced in the drink by wild yeast that are naturally occurring on the elderflowers, in the air etc. and that start a fermentation process. Fermentation is similar to a winemaking fermentation so it is important to store ready lemonade in a cool place like a basement, cellar or fridge, otherwise lemonade will turn into a sparkling elderflower wine (which, by the way, is equally delicious just not suitable for kids).
Ingredients: (makes 1L)
- 4 clusters of elderflower
- 1/3 cup of honey
- ½ of a lemon, washed and sliced
- 1 L of cooled, boiled water
- 1 tbs of apple cider
Here is how I made it:
Step 1. Pick elderflowers
There are two types of elder growing in my neighbourhood one has the very common white flowers with green leaves and the second one has pink flowers with reddish leaves. They taste the same just that the red elderflower will make a pink lemonade and white will make a yellow one.
Step 2. Place the flowers in a shaded place on a paper towel for about an hour.
This will make the little bugs that live on the flowers to run away and they will not spoil the whole drink by floating in a bottle.
Step 3. Steep the flowers in water
Place elderflowers and lemon in a jar. Dissolve honey in water and pour it on the elderflowers. Add apple cider and close the jar. Let the jar stand on a windowsill for 2-3 days, remembering to mix everything 2 times a day.
Step 4. Remove the flowers and close the bottles tightly.
Pour the liquid through a sieve to remove flowers and lemon. Pour filtered liquid into bottles and close them tightly. Closing the bottles well is essential otherwise the liquid will start to change into vinegar. The lemonade is ready to drink but the bubbles will develop over time.
Enjoy!!
Suzanah
Wow really really interesting. Sparkles through wild yeast, I definitely need to try this. Now I google where I get/find elderflower. Than I would make lemonade and wine since I'm already making wine and that sounds like quite an interesting new project.
Thanks for sharing and the nice idea. What cool thinks nature has to offer
This is wonderful!! I am glad I could inspire you to make something new :) I hope you will be able to find the elderflowers. Elder bushes are very common in my area so I made a small trip to the meadow and picked as much as I needed. Enjoy making both wine and lemonade :)
I need to try this next year. All my elder flowers are now berries!
It is definitely worth to try it. Even if it will be next year :)
Thanks for the tip. I will try to remember next year!
I have to try this recipe i love Lemonade :)
I highly recommend :) Thank you for commenting!
It's delicious 😋!!
Thank you @raghwendra!!
I live in Austria and every year our grandmothers make elderflower syrup for us. It's great as "Hugo" which is a alcoholic drink with elderflower, lemon/lime and sparkling wine.
When I want it on the healthy side I simple throw the flowers in water, let it sit for a few hours to make infused water.
Thank you for this great post! :)
This drink sounds wonderful, never heard of it but I must try it!! Now, google how to make elderflower syrup :)
Wow that looks lovely! The pink elderberries flower is so beautiful indeed!
So glad to discover you thanks to the resteeming by @foraging-trail!
Oh thank you @progressivechef!! I also like the colour of the pink elderflower more interesting but the lemonade taste great with both varieties :)
That looks especially good with the pink-flowering variety of elderberry! It's interesting to see different version of elderflower cordial that people use. I like yours because it's for making small batches. That makes it more approachable for people to try for the first time. Or if it's the end of the season and there are just a few flowerheads left, lol.
Thank you @haphazard-hstead!! I find the colour of the pink-flowered one more interesting as well :). I wrote the recipe so anyone can try a small batch at first. Especially that not everyone likes the flavour of elderflower, but hopefully those who do enjoy it will like these lemonade over and over again like I do each summer :)
Both versions look really good! Nice tip about letting the little spiders and insects have a chance to leave the flowers! ; )
Thank you so much @foraging-trail!!
@knittybynature
Wow, I'll have to try this this summer. Thanks for a great little project. Your photos are lovely as well. It's amazing how bountiful our planet is with delicacies, if we know where to look! Great post! I was just stopping by to say hi, thanks for your recent support, and leave you a little upvote and comment. Stop by for more stories and contests any time! @markrmorrisjr